Crocodile Hunter...

Please excuse me for not blogging for a while. So much has happened since last weekend’s rugby game. I did successfully install all 24 heaters into the school in Katlehong. If you would like to see the school, Jesse Rodriguez of Calvary Bible Church in Burbank, made a presentation with footage that Beth Mack has given to him. You can see that video on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QNe_yszulrs, this is a very good picture of what is happening at the school. I did get a library card and I have used it! I am starting research for my last paper that needs to be written. And they say that here in South Africa that if you need to get something done, then expect to make at least three trips to the place that you need to go. And I have been actually lucky to not have to make many trips to the places that I needed. But I guess all that time that I have saved in the past was building up for this past week. I believe that it took six trips to the library to actually get the library card that I needed to actually check books out. So that is one thing that I will be doing in this next week.
On Thursday, my sister, Tiffany, and Melissa Briganti (sp?) made it safely to South Africa. After a long flight and many airplane meals, they were ready to jump into things. So I took them for a tour of the Lambano homes, and took them to the worksite to see the work of the Conrad (the mason from Canada). After trying to keep Tiffany awake, we rented a movie and then they crashed. On Friday I took the girls to Katlehong to show them what the situation is there and I think that it was very eye-opening.
I guess there is a tradition here in South Africa at Grace Christian Church, every intern has finished “THE AMERICAN DREAM”. There is a restaurant here named Pano’s and all of the sizes of burgers are named after the comic strip characters from Archie. And the biggest of all is the “Jughead”. This is a 450g piece of meat. And the American Dream is two patties. So we are talking almost 1kg of meat (for those of you who don’t do metric… that’s almost 2.2 lbs of meat!!!). If you eat it in a half hour of less then you can put your name up onto the “Wall of Fame”. Unfortunately, I broke the tradition and surrendered to the American Dream about halfway through. I couldn’t finish it. It was bigger than my face. Sorry to let you down.




But we bounced back wonderfully the next morning after eating all that beef. We went up to Irene craft market, where it is basically a flea market, where you can buy anything you could imagine. Contrary to how Brian describes it as a “chick” market, it wasn’t half bad. It was a nice relaxing walk around with friends and family. The place did have excellent food.
After going to the flea market, Tiffany and I decided to go to Croc City Crocodile Farm. I was on a mission because a close friend, who supported me on both of my trips here to South Africa, wanted a crocodile skull or teeth. So I google searched and found this crocodile farm not to far from where we are staying. So we went on the tour and I got to hold a baby croc. We were also successful in getting the skulls. But one funny thing did happen to us while we were there. I didn’t take out my camera right at the beginning of the tour for whatever reason. So I told Tiffany that when the tour finishes, I’ll get my camera out and go back to the ponds and take pictures. So, standing on this bridge I get my camera out of Tiff’s backpack. As I am holding the camera with my right hand, I take off the lens cap with my left hand. And right at that moment my head started itching, so I reach up with my left hand to adjust my cap, and what do you know, my lens cap falls out of my hand to land only a few feet away from this huge crocodile. It seemed like everything went in slow motion right when I dropped it. And of course there is no getting near that thing to get it. So, someone will have a nice lens cap to a Nikkon camera, if they don’t get eaten trying to get to it.
I hope to finish my paper by next Friday before we leave to Pilansburg, the game park, with friends. And a week from this Wednesday I’ll be boarding the plane to come home! Cant wait to see all of you!

Blou Bulls for the win

Before I came here to South Africa, I asked two interns if they had any advice for me, because they had spent a year each in Johannesburg. Matt O'brien had this to say: "hmm...tips...well don't die...that's important. that's #1. Drive on the correct side of the ride. That's a corolary to not dying. If you go over fisher's hill, before you get to the freeway, there's a 24-hour pizza place on the right. Check it out. Oh, and check the expiration date on the bottle of ketchup in the church kitchen cupboard. It's been there for a while. I think Conrad has the key to the room." So I haven't died so that has been good, and I have been to the Fisher's Hill, but need to find the pizza joint. The only problem that I've had driving here is in parking lots. I find that the one place where I find myself wanting to be on the right side of the road.
And Matt Floreen, one of the other interns had this to say: "I'm with Matty-O... don't die. Tip #2 is when people say "We must have you come to a rugby match sometime," hold them to it. People told me that for a year and never took me. Pick a couple people to really, really invest in. Buy cheap clothes at Mr. Price, not PEP. Encourage random people by SMS. Commission a craftsman at Bruma to make you a one-of-a-kind carving. Learn a song in Afrikaans, Zulu, Xhosa, and Sotho. Teach the Lambano kids some good games. Learn the proper way to braai. Make sure the young adults remember how to make s'mores. Always ask your host if you can bring something. Learn how to use a fork and knife together. Offer visitors tea, and make it the right way (Rooibos steeps way longer than Five Roses.) Learn Vuyo's skunk poem. Tip the car guards 2 rand. If you buy stuff to take home, keep the receipt and get the VAT refund at the airport. Always walk people out to the gate. The standard response to "howzit?" is "Fine and you." You'll do great."
It seems like not dying is pretty important, and with all the crime here it's good advice. In the last week there have been two hijackings on the street that I'm living on. And Beth Mack was in a restaraunt a week ago and it was held up by some armed robbers. God was good in protecting her and her family, but crime is real here.
I have learned a song in a different language, I haven't needed to buy clothes, braai-ing (bbq-ing) is a breeze, and I have commissioned a craftsman.
The one thing that I was pretty excited about was the rugby game that i needed to go to. And that hope came to fruition yesterday. Lonngren, Eddy, and Garth took me to a Johannesburg Lions vs. Pretoria Blou Bulls game. And after, Lonngren's mom made a meal for a king. It was a traditional Afrikaans meal and it was so good. We were chearing for the Lions, but they got beat by the Bulls.
So here are some pics of the game.

Three weeks left

Well, I only have three and a half more weeks here in South Africa and its kind of a bummer. I feel like this trip has flown by faster than anything I have ever experienced. Although I know that there are still things to be done while I’m here I am thinking about coming home. For example, this week I am installing some heaters for the school in Katlehong. I am almost done with my paper on how to start an orphanage, it has been going really smoothly and I think that is because that is what I’m most passionate about. It has been a learning experience for me writing this paper and reading the books for Dr. Tatlock. I have learned how little compassion I really have and how I need to be depending on Christ to give me compassion like Him. Reading in the gospel accounts of Jesus’ ministry we see that He just did not feel bad for the people who were outcast but He sought them out. In one of the books I read it gave the definition of Pity and Compassion. Pity is defined as a feeling of sorrow for another person’s sorrow. And compassion as a feeling of pity that makes one want to help or show mercy. Pity looks, sees, and feels but stops there. Compassion looks sees, feels, and then does something. Matthew 20:34 illustrates this idea: “So Jesus had compassion and touched their eyes” Pity sees; compassion touches.
I have seen so much while I have been here and I would not change anything about my trip. God is good and is faithful to convict me of sin and grow me into what He wants. I cannot wait to show all of you all of my pictures and stories to go along with them. I’ll see you in less than a month!