Black Eye?

Tonight I got hit, smack dab in the eye, with the point of a football. (And I wasn't even playing the game!) Don't worry Mom, Dad and friends... I'm fine, I'm tough, and I had about twelve APU nurses in training taking excellent care of me. Till tomorrow, that is my update for tonight :) And here is a picture to add even more excitement to the whole ordeal. I'm pretty sure it will evolve into a nasty black eye...we shall see...

T-I-A (This is Africa)

It is Day 5 here at African Enterprise in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa. School is in full swing, and we only started Monday.  What a whirlwind! I’ve been in South Africa for one entire week. My goodness, it feels longer…not in a bad way—just the way it is when you travel half way around the world, I imagine. Here, in South Africa, I am a student of Azusa Pacific International (API). Anyway, I think the best way to take this blog is by days, so here we go…(Feel free to read this is segments, by the way. So much has gone on, it is overwhelming to even me!)

Arrival: (Friday, Sept 9)

This past Friday afternoon, we arrived to a welcoming party like no other. There were women dancing, hugging us as we got off the bus and saying, “I love you, I love you, I love you.” It was enough to bring a person to tears. The spirit and way in which the whole staff here (as well as the people in general) has welcomed us is like none other. So inviting. So loving. So giving. So open—open to talk, learn your name, and teach you some Zulu (their language), in the process.

Day #1: (Saturday, Sept 10)

We spent this day touring Pietermaritzburg. We went to a spot at the “top” of the city where we could see everything (great photo op), and then we headed to a historic train station where Ghandi was ejected from a first class compartment of a natal government railways train on June 7, 1893. This event is significant because it marked the beginning of his political career in the 20^th century. After lunch at African Enterprise, we loaded back onto the buses (of which there are 4) and headed to the Birds of Prey sanctuary. Sound creepy? It was. (There are some great pictures in Upload #2).

Day #2: (Sunday, Sept. 11)

On Sunday, we were given the option of attending one of four different churches with our four main leaders, Sarah Jane (SJ), Reagan, Janet, or Reg (the man in charge of this whole operation). I went with Reagan because he advertised his church as the most charismatic, jump up and down, move with the Spirit type church. As we arrived, (myself and about 15 others), it was clear who the APU students were. We lined two entire rows in the church and worshiped along with the people in Afrikaans, Zulu, and English. Talk about diversity! I loved it. Surprisingly, the majority of the worship selections came from Hillsong, so we were able to follow along for most of the worship. The pastor preached in English on the baptism of suffering and his message was powerful. I went up for prayer at the end along with a few others, and myself, as well as those “others” ended up in tears by the end. Our CLCs (Community Life Coordinators)—who I mentioned above (minus Reg), encourage us to find a church while we’re here, get involved, and make it our home, so I’m excited to attend that church regularly in the future (at the moment I can’t remember its name, but when I find out I will let you know!) That afternoon, the entire group took an afternoon hike to waterfall #2 on the campus (waterfall #1 is right outside my back window along with a volleyball court, firepit, and watering hole—for swimming, once it gets a bit warmer). Ryno, an intern on campus, (pronounced Rhino—that really is his name) was our fearless leader, machete and all in hand, whacking down bush and branch—or anything that stood in our path, as we walked. The day ended with a team meeting in which I was given my moment to shine (for knowing everyone’s name). It was quite a feat I accomplished, especially when you have to stand up, look people in the eye, and name them out loud, but I did it (along with one other person), and I have been told that a reward is on its way (although I have yet to receive one).

Day #3: (Monday, Sept. 12)

By Monday morning, the games were over (which we’d played plenty of at that point—literally—monopoly, signs, kemps, you name it), and our first day of school had begun. I woke up at 5:30 AM. “Why so early?” you might ask. Well, I had signed up for worship team the night before and our first chapel was that Monday morning. Needless to say, we had to practice and I, along with a guitar playing junior named Max, had been nominated to lead for the first one. We have chapels Monday and Friday morning at 8 AM here in South Africa (no more complaining about 9:30 chapels, APU!). It was an early morning and a long day. After chapel was history, and after history was tea. After tea was biology until 1 PM--then lunch, then more biology from 1:30- 4 PM. Mondays are biology lecture (ALL DAY) and Thursdays are field trips (you can guess which day will be my favorite).

Finally, class ended. I went back to my dorm (or chalet, as they call them here), uploaded pictures, and relaxed for the rest of the night.

Day #4: (Tuesday, Sept 13)

Yesterday began with service sites. After these 6 weeks of school, all the students will choose from 1 of 5 “service sites.” We will be working/ministering at our selected site for four weeks straight, so for the next few weeks we are visiting the sites so we can get a feel for each one and discover where the Lord might be calling us in the weeks to come. After visiting two sites off campus, we came back to AE (African Enterprise) and headed to class. Tuesday is Life and Teachings of Jesus with Reg (short for Reginald). He is a white South African man, probably in his late sixties, and the executive director here at API. I look forward to absorbing every word that comes out of his mouth (and that is not an overstatement—he’s just one of those people). After Life and Teachings, I was done for the day. Then, the real challenge faced me…homework or hike on the game reserve that is less than half a mile away. In my normal responsible APU mindset, I would have chosen homework, but I’m in South Africa for goodness sake…I chose the hike, and it’s a good thing I did!! We saw Zebras--four of them. Just eating and grazing and walking and wandering, right in front of our eyes. It was amazing and I got plenty of pictures :)

Day #5: (Wednesday, Sept 14)

As this day (and this blog) comes to a close, I want to reflect back on my title for this entry “T-I-A (This is Africa).” When we first arrived here, Quinton (one of the directors who met us in Johannesburg), said it to us. It was funny at the time. It still is, but now (only a few short days later), it already holds much meaning. If class starts at 1 PM that most likely means 1:15. If the power goes out, it will eventually come back on again. If the hot water turns icy cold, just wait for a bit. If internet goes down, it will eventually come up. When things go wrong, no stress, no worries. This is Africa. It is an intensely different way of life over here. Time moves slowly, (even with our busy schedules) and with no cell phone and no facebook, I now have the time to take notice of people, landscape, and the tiny blessings that come throughout the day (like teatime, which I will be headed to “just now,” which in South Africa means, in a moment).  On Monday morning Reg spoke in our first chapel. He spoke on what it looks like for the Kingdom to come to earth. He said, as believers, our question should be, “What on earth can I do for heaven’s sake.” Then he talked about a funeral he performed where no one came. Not one person attended this middle-aged man’s funeral when he died. Reg recited the service to empty pews (about 30 years ago), and this memory, he said, will stick in his mind forever. That moment ingrained in him that he never wanted to be that man, who came and went from this earth, and when he left, there was not a person who knew or cared that he was gone. Reg said at the end of his message, “You will leave everything behind except the people whose lives you’ve touched.” Wow. What a way to start the school year, with that message in mind.

We sang a song that morning by Jon Foreman called “Your Love is Strong,” not knowing the topic on which Reg was going to speak. I think the lyrics of this song recap his message quite perfectly…

“Heavenly Father
You always amaze me
Let your kingdom come
In my world and in my life…

The kingdom of the heavens
Is now advancing
Invade my heart
Invade this broken town
The kingdom of the heavens
Is buried treasure
Will you sell yourself
To buy the one you've found?”

-Your Love is Strong

First Days...Upload #2

First Days...Upload #2, a set on Flickr.

First weekend at African Enterprise! Birds, zebras AND humans. What more could I ask for?

9/11

As I create this post, it is exactly 9:11 A.M. Seeing those numbers will always take me back to that tragic day on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. I was in fifth grade at Christ Presbyterian Academy. As I spend this 10th anniversary of 9/11 across the country, I wanted to remember and never forget the events that changed our country forever. I found this video clip at CNN.com and thought I'd share it with you all. It highlights the events of that morning moment by moment.

http://cnn.com/video/?/video/us/2011/09/07/natpkg-911-aircheck-timeline.cnn

Ps. 46:1-2
"God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. THerefore we will not fear, though the earth should change and though the mountains slip into the heart of the sea."

"This is life."- Johannesburg and Saweto

Well, it feels like there is no possible way that LESS than one week has gone by since I left APU. In fact, I’ve been on South African soil little more than half a week, considering we arrived in Johannesburg on a Wednesday night and it is now Saturday evening. The people with whom I am now living were practically nonexistent to me seven days ago and now I know all 48 of their names and faces (Yes—I worked very hard to be the first one who accomplished this feat. I believe I may even receive a prize if I’ve heard correctly).

Last time I wrote, I was about to experience my first full day in South Africa, and what a full day it was (especially when one is running on four hours of sleep, no coffee, and experiencing an immense amount of jet lag due to the 9 hour ahead jump).  Needless to say, I was not at my best. I was just so………tired!! As we all loaded (or dragged) ourselves on to the 60 seat bus, I was wondering how I was going to make it through the day—I quite honestly wasn’t sure. Regardless, I was in South Africa!! I was determined to enjoy it. We headed straight to the Apartheid Museum (which I posted pictures of in the photo feed below), where we walked through an exhibit as we read about the history of South Africa—the good, the bad, and the (mostly) ugly. There was also an additional exhibit on Nelson Mandela (South Africa’s real live superhero) that was being displayed for a limited amount of time (there are pictures of that in the feed as well).

I must admit, my focus that morning was limited. I mostly just looked at pictures and watched videos. Reading display after display took more energy out of me than I could spare at the moment. Overall, it was a great way to start the trip—with history. History is what makes us who we are (our life stories are a part of our history and people must know them in order to know us). In order to know or even begin to understand South Africa, you must know its history. Something that struck me immensely was the fact that so many of the facts I was reading and so much of the video footage I was watching was so recent. On one hand, that was exciting because it means the people with whom I will interact on the trip (at the service sites and on the staff that is taking care of us) will most likely have lived through some of these major events and have incredible stories to tell. On the other hand, it’s frightening to think that such injustice and brutality could take place on such a large scale all the way into the 1990s.

After the museum, we drove around a city called Saweto, and what struck me most about this place was that, on one side of the street you would have people living in the dirt with a small covering over their head (this is called a house—this “housing” is for those who are unemployed, mostly). Then, on the other side of the same street, there would be a row of apartments and housing that looks much like what I will be living in with my roommates this coming spring at APU. Shocking. Nothing like you see in the U.S. The woman who was guiding our tour was a native of the town, and after she would describe a certain row of houses or talk about an aspect of life in her city, she would finish the phrase with,  “This is life in Saweto.” She said it matter-of-factly as if to say, this is just the way things are and we accept them and we live our lives to the fullest in spite of our circumstances, whatever they may be. Everyone was so friendly—waving, smiling, and welcoming us as we drove through the town in our enormous bus. I noticed that the billboards posted around the city often appealed to the part of human nature that desires to prosper, live well, and find a place in this world. Whether a sign was advertising for a church or for a housing complex, all the messages seemed to be the same. Do the best you can with what you have. There was no victim mentality in this town. People there were responsible for themselves and they knew it. No one in Saweto begs. Instead, they are encouraged to be entrepreneurs, selling items at a street corner, or cutting hair on the side of the road. Looks like America could take a hint from Saweto.

As our day in Johannesburg came to a close, we all went back to the hotel, had a beautiful candlelight dinner right next to an airstrip landing, and headed back to the hotel. I popped two Tylenol PM, went straight to bed and slept straight through until my alarm sounded at 6 AM the following morning. HALLELUJAH! Drug induced sleep or not, it was much needed.

The next morning, we ate breakfast in the hotel lobby once again, loaded up the bus, and headed back to the Johannesburg airport. We took a short and sweet flight to Durban (southeast of Johannesburg), and arrived there around 1 PM. Then, we hopped back on another bus and drove about an hour and a half to African Enterprise Conference Center (where we will be staying for the next 10 weeks, doing school and completing our time at service sites). Considering this blog has been oh so long, I will save the details of my past 24 hours here at African Enterprise for the next one.

Until then, goodnight, and,“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”

-Romans 15:13

At the beginning...Upload #1

mishagoetz's photostream on Flickr.

These pictures went backwards for some reason. This is all new to me, so I apologize! They start from APU and end in Pietermaritzburg, where we arrived this afternoon and will be staying for the next 10 weeks!

Be Still My Soul

Be Still My Soul

As I write my first blog from a tiny hotel room in Johannesburg, South Africa, I’m not even sure where to begin. Frankly, I’m not even sure what kind of blog I wish to have. Should it be matter of fact? Funny? Serious? The reality is, I don’t know, so for now, I’ll just write as if I’m talking to a friend…(except there will be no “Um um um…I forgot,” phrases involved in the middle of my sentences—and those of you who know me well as a friend know exactly what I’m talking about).

It’s been 43 hours exactly since I stood at APU’s (Azusa Pacific University) trolley stop on East Campus in Azusa, CA, awaiting a large bus that would come and carry myself, along with 48 other students, to Los Angeles International Airport.  I stood there with my faithful roommate, Rachel Burnett, by my side, and waited for the bus to show. My other roommate who had accompanied us to the trolley stop had to stay in the car because she forgot to put on real pants (and who could blame her—it was 3:20 in the morning). I had stayed up almost all night (with the exception of a 20 minute nap thrown in there for good measure), and before I knew it, there I was, two suitcases in hand, ready to go.

The problem was, though, was I really ready? I sure didn’t feel like it. I’d had a full day of orientation and commissioning on September 5^th (the day before our departure on the 6^th), I’d cried plenty of tears, and I’d said goodbye to as many friends as possible—yet, unexpectedly, I did NOT want to leave. This was the opportunity of a lifetime!! How could I be feeling this way? I thought to myself. I slept on the bus to LAX and our crew of students made it to the airport in plenty of time. We boarded the plane at 7:30 AM and by 8 o’clock we were off the ground. Before I knew it, we were back on the ground, landing in Washington D.C.’s Dulles Airport at 3:50 P.M. I had slept almost the entire way thanks to my handy dandy pink neck pillow from R.E.I. that may or may not be my new best friend. As I made my way from terminal D, where we landed, to terminal A with my new friend Bethany that I had just met, I was still feeling a sense of sadness about leaving my APU family behind. I love that place and my school so much, that, as silly as it sounds, it really was the hardest thing to leave behind. I made a phone call to my other Bethany friend from high school and did what you do with best friends…I cried. She cried too as she said a little prayer for me (thanks for that, Beth), and I boarded the plane to Johannesburg.

As soon as I boarded that South African Airlines plane, something shifted. The sadness I felt began to subside and a bit of the excitement I expected to be there from the beginning began to well up. Maybe it was the good-looking black men with the accents that did it for me—or maybe it was the fact that every seat on the plane had a nice big TV on the back of it—or the fact that no one sat next to me and I had an entire row/bed to myself. Whatever it was, I felt happy. Joy began to rise up within me and I started thanking the Lord for this opportunity.

The seventeen-hour flight went by without a glitch, except for the fact that, at the climax of Wall-E (which I had never seen before and was thoroughly enjoying), our in-flight movie service ended in preparation for landing. It seems I will never find out if the little earth robot and Eve make it back to earth (but considering it’s Disney, I imagine there will be a happy ending).  We arrived in Johannesburg around 7 PM, and after a short ride on a very skinny bus to a nearby hotel, we were paired up with random room assignments for the next two nights (one of which has gone by), and we were sent to shower and head to bed. As I looked out the window (on a landscape that looked a lot like Azusa,CA), I couldn’t help but calculate the time back at APU. The students were just getting out of their first chapel, and instead of shedding tears, I smiled. J

To say I slept well would be a lie. I went to bed at 11 PM and woke up at 3 AM. I’ve been up ever since and it is currently 8 AM. I had a nice breakfast in the hotel lobby (that looks like a Courtyard Marriott), and I am currently scurrying to finishing this blog. Today and tomorrow are reserved for Johannesburg and then it’s back on a plane for a flight to Durban and then on to Pietermaritzburg where I will spend the majority of my time in South Africa. I’ll update again soon.

Until then, I pray “that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe.”

- Ephesians 1:17-19.  

P.S. There will be pictures next time!