Land of the Free, Home of the Brave

Diet Coke
Starbucks
Chocolate
Sweet & Sour Chicken
Burrito
Rocky Road Ice Cream in a Waffle Cone
Pizza
Steak
BBQ Sauce
Reliable Water & Electricity
Comfortable Bed
Normal Sized Bugs

It's good to be back in the States!

As I was flying back and anticipating a much needed Starbucks I kept praying about how to wrap up this season of my life but make sure it drives me into the next season. As always, my God showed me something pretty cool:

In January I shared about the rainbow stretching across the sky during the descent into Johannesburg. It was a rainbow which reminded me of God's covenant with Noah and his promise of partnership, love and care. It gave me comfort and confidence. This same type of message was given to me as I was descending into Washington last week. The plane left Johannesburg after the sun had gone down and we flew west for 18 hours, all of it in the dark. As we began the descent into Washington the sun began to catch up to the plane and there was an amazing sunrise of reds, oranges and yellows. A new day was dawning. This isn't anything spectacular - the sun does the same thing all the time! But, no matter what the sky has done in the past, every sunrise is unique and special. It can be referenced and compared to past sunrises but it is new every day. I was flying back to what was familiar. I have a reference point of what to expect. But, at the same time, it is new.

My worldview, paradigms, focus have changed in ways I still don't know how to explain.

My heart is still in Kayamandi and I haven't figured out how to get it back here.

My God is ridiculously, unimaginably amazing and I don't have the words to sufficiently honor Him. My God healed me, romanced me, blessed me, loved me, freed me and gave me every single desire of my heart. I am super pumped to find out what He has in store for me now.

I have an entire African family that I can't stop thinking about. Every thought makes me smile and brings an overwhelming joy to my heart.

I know myself - likes, dislikes, strengths, weaknesses, passions, desires, loves, friends and place in this huge world of ours - way more than I have ever understood before.

I can keep going with the list of newness but I'd rather have a conversation in person!
It was a great 5 months of love and a life journey. I am excited to sit down over a cup of coffee and talk about what has been going on in your lives and what has been going on in mine. Saying thank you to everyone for your support and prayers seems insufficient but it is an appreciation from my heart. I miss South Africa but, at the same time, it feels good to be back in the States!

Impilo!

My Little Terror

Imagine this:

4 years old
Stands at a height just above my knees
No more than 20 lbs
Naughtiest little guy ever!!

I affectionately call him Little Terror. He is tiny but he gets himself into trouble better than anyone. He stands on the tables, runs around screaming, uses the side of the building as a toilet and basically finds as much mischief as possible! The problem is he's cute. He's adorable and he knows it.

Despite his mischievousness I love him to death. Little Terror loves his life and he loves every single thing he does. He has the biggest smile ever. He laughs, sings and dances constantly!

On occasion he does something to melt my heart...

A few weeks ago we had visitors from Brazil. They were energetic but also really loud and overwhelming. The entire time Little Terror stood next to me with his arms wrapped around my leg and his thumb in his mouth taking in everything that was going on.
----
The sun decided to break through the clouds and the rain stopped so we took all the kids outside to play instead of have classes. The girls were sitting nicely in a big circle singing and dancing and the boys were across the way climbing trees and wrestling. I was on boy patrol and when I was watching to make sure no one got seriously injured Little Terror came up to me and started walking figure eights around and through my legs. The entire time he was squealing with laughter. I looked down, asked what he was doing and he looked up and just giggled.
----
It was Day 2 of sun shining and while I was standing out soaking up all the Vitamin D I could get, Little Terror ran over and fell into a sort of head stand kicking his legs up at me. I grabbed his legs and pulled all 20 lbs of him up into the air. He screamed with excitement and joy as he was flying through the air.

Little Terror finds joy in absolutely everything he does and I've been able to take on his attitude. Every time I see him I try to pause and notice the things going on around me. Through this my God has clothed me with joy.

In Psalm 4 David says, "You have filled my life with greater joy than when new grain and wine abound."

These words echo the laughter of my heart. 5 months of being filled with this great joy is life changing. As my time here winds down I have a huge smile on my face because I know my God has blessed me with Little Terrors and has opened my eyes to see life in a new and better way. Life is new and exciting. Life is full of adventure and wonder. Life is joy!

Math Defeat

(2e-1)/(e^2+e-6) - 3/(e+3) = 2/(e-2)
solve for e

It was 6:00, I had just finished up my Grade 7 English class and I was ready to go home. I walked into the reception to put the keys away and Monde was sitting there slumped back in the chair with his hood up looking horribly defeated.
Now, you need to understand Monde: He constantly has a huge smile on his face. He is in love with life. His joy for life is contagious. He is one of the few honest hard workers. He had a lot of "bad choice, make a new one" moments when he was younger but those where his Before Christ days. He's let God do some awesome work on his heart and has cleaned up his act. He knows he messed up and has been spending the past couple years doing his best to make something of himself and to catch up to his peers in school. He is so smart and his smile warms my heart.
So obviously his defeated body language caught my attention.

"Monde, friend, what's wrong?"
"Ya! SisNora. I can't do this maths. I need your help."

Sitting down to work on this math problem got me kind of excited (I freely admit that I'm a nerd). We proceeded to take the next 25 minutes to solve the problem. There was a lot of blank stares and heavy sighs followed by "SisNora, I just don't get it." We'd go back to the beginning and I'd try another approach to explain the process.

Once we got to e = -1/3 Monde looked at me with the light back in his eyes and the smile back on his face.
"I understand! Wow, thank you!"

I've done tons of math problems since I've been here...everywhere from basic multiplication to this type of algebra. The fact that this particular 25 minutes made me so happy perplexed me. There was nothing extraordinary about it. I sat back to reflect on this and realize the reason why I loved doing math with Monde didn't matter. I am just thankful I was able to.

All I can think of is thank you Jesus for loving me and trusting me enough to bring me here! Thank you for giving me opportunities to do what I love! Thank you for putting people in my life who have stamped their footprints on my heart; people who show me how to dream, hope, love, fly and discover!



Some people come into our lives
and leave footprints on our hearts
and we are never ever the same

Some people come into our lives
and quickly go....Some stay for awhile
and embrace our silent dreams

They help us become aware
of the delicate winds of hope...
and we discover within every human spirit
there are wings yearning to fly

They help our hearts to see that
the only stairway to the stars
is woven with dreams...
and we find ourselves
unafraid to reach high

They celebrate the true essence
of who we are...
and have faith in all
that we may become

Some people awaken us
to new and deeper realizations...
for we gain insight
from the passing whisper of their wisdom

Throughout our lives we are sent
precious souls...
meant to share our journey
however brief or lasting their stay
they remind us why we are here

To learn...to teach...to nurture...to love

Some people come into our lives
to cast a steady light
upon our path and guide our every step
their shining belief in us
helps us to believe in ourselves

Some people come into our
lives to teach us about love...
The love that rests within ourselves

Let us reach out to others
and feel the bliss of giving
for love is far richer in action
than it ever is in words

Some people come into our lives
and they move our souls to sing
and make our spirits dance

They help us to see that everything on earth
is part of the incredibility of life...
and that it is always there
for us to take of its joy

Some people come into our lives
and leave footprints on our hearts
and we are never ever the same

~Anonymous

There are people I can name who have done every single one of these things for me. I had these grand plans of trying to make an impact in a short amount of time and have found that, the very things I wanted to do for these kids, they have done for me. I have been taught. I have been led to discover myself. I have been nurtured. I have been loved.

Servants

80 loaves of bread
5 kg of corn meal
5 wors
5 kg of chicken
8 rolls of polony
100 bananas
22 kg of potatoes

Just a fraction of the food prepared at camp. Over the past week I've been at Kuyasa's Leadership Camp. It is a camp for all of Kuyasa's student leaders in all of the different programs and ministries. There were about 50 people total, including leaders and speakers. It was an intense few days full of seminars addressing everything from the Trinity to dating and forgiveness to spiritual warfare.

I went along to help out where needed which mostly involved cooking for these 50 people, of which about 25 included growing teenage boys. It was no small task!

I spend most of my time with the little ones and it was refreshing and fun to spend uninterrupted time with the teenagers. When I didn't think I could love this place any more, my heart is overflowing for these kids! I grew in my understanding of the struggles they face everyday, especially since many of them are first generation Christians and must deal with the ancestral worship and witch doctor practices of their parents and family. Many live with integrity in a culture were sex and drugs run rampant. I am incredibly impressed and proud of these kids in so many ways.

One of the biggest things that stuck out to me was their servant hearts. Despite being exhausted from all the thinking and discussions everyday and the blatant attacks from Satan, they were eager to help out in the kitchen. They joyously did the dishes and cleaned up the kitchen. I'm by no means a neat and tidy cook but they worshiped and danced while cleaning up...even when cleaning out the pap pot (not a pleasant task!). There were never any complaints. They wouldn't let me wash one fork, let alone do any of the real dishes. All they wanted me to do was sing and dance with them and, so, that's what I did. My expectations for them were way to low. I was expecting whining and a feeling of forced labor but I should have known better.

My kids know how to give. They know what it means to be servants. They are modeling the very essence of Jesus. They love, pray, worship and serve from the very core of their hearts.

Philippians 2:5-8 is a passage that, for me, sums up who Jesus is and who we must strive to be
You attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:
Who, being in very nature God did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death - even death on a cross!

Jesus is a humble obedient servant. He would have willingly cleaned the pap pot.

Mamas

Mama Aloni and Mama Fibi

love, compassion, sacrifice and amazingness

Their job descriptions include cooking for feeding scheme and maintaining Kuyasa's building...no small task when you have hundreds of kids running around everyday. Mama Fibi is also the house mother in the safe house for several teenage girls who have no other safe living option.

That's their "job" but they perform so many unquantifiable tasks. Mama Fibi is soft spoken but her tender hands are strong when she pulls me into her every morning for a hug or grabs my hand as our paths cross during the day. Mama Aloni can be clearly heard proclaiming, "SisNora! Yiza, Love, yiza!" from the other side of the building in the middle of feeding scheme. Obviously when she calls I come running with anticipation and she strongly pulls me in and says, "Sissy, today the children are very active. Here is my inspiration to you," and gives me a hug and a kiss. She is at a perfect height that I can bend over slightly, rest my head on her shoulder and let her support me for just a second. But in that second, I am rejuvenated, encouraged and loved beyond measure fro the rest of the day.

They give the best hugs and have the best smiles I have ever experienced. Hands down. No competition. They are fully devoted to Kuyasa, the kids and the staff. I think they actually make the place function. There's days when I run around like a crazy person organizing, planning and teaching but if I step foot in their kitchen or come into a room they are mopping I must stop for a second, take a breath, receive a sincere hug and soak up their love. They show me on a daily basis what it means to love. When I want to kill some kids, Mama Aloni's firm love and Mama Fibi's soft love come to the front of my mind and I, as well as the kids, survive another hectic day. And it's not just surviving another day, but thriving in another day. It's knowing what joy means and experiencing that completely in life.

They give and give and give and never ask for anything in return except the occasional broom to clean up after feeding scheme or a marker to keep track of the kids in the line. That's it. They are remarkable. They are the manifestations of love. These words do not do them justice. These two women have changed my life in ways I can't explain. Purely by their actions, I am changed. They love unconditionally. They give wholeheartedly. They serve fully.

1 John 4: 7 -12
Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.

I hope someday to be able to love like Mama Aloni and Mama Fibi. They are remarkable.

love to you today

Visa

It was a long and frustrating battle but I have come out victorious with my visa extended! Whew, praise the Lord! Thank you for all of the prayers in regards to this. Although it may have been fun to refer to myself as an illegal alien, I think I prefer knowing that they can't use this as an excuse to throw me in jail.

When I phoned Home Affairs for the billionth time this morning they said they didn't have it so I decided to go there anyway and not leave without it. I was fully prepared to dig deep and find the aggressive and obnoxious American that, to some extent, lives deep inside all of us. When I got to Home Affairs there was no queue (a miracle in itself) so I walked up to the counter ready for battle, handed over my paper and was told to wait for a few minutes. I decided to hold back the aggression for when they told me they wouldn't extend it but in about 10 minutes they walked out with my visa...they had it the whole time! Everyone's theory seems to be that they were just trying to screw me over since I'm American...not so nice but, in the end, I won and that's all that matters :)

Thanks for the prayers and rest assured that I am legally allowed to be here now!

Preaching

"Preach the Gospel always, if necessary use words."
-St. Francis

I've always thought about this as our actions speak louder then our words. This is for sure true but I've realized a new definition of actions. Actions aren't just being a servant leader, dishing up others' meals before your own or helping an old lady across the street. I realized today that the smallest of non-verbal interactions can speak volumes.

I needed a second to escape the chaos and took the chance during the transition from Kids Games to feeding scheme. I stepped inside to the reception area where there weren't any kids and the volume was decreased from deafening to just really loud. While the lines were forming outside and students were running around getting food ready for the kids, I turned around to find a little preschool boy staring at me from about 20 feet away in the front of the line outside. I smiled at him and he returned it. The next minute of our lives consisted of an exchange of funny faces - I gave him a goofy grin, he returned with a crossed eyes expression, I puckered my lips like a fish, he puffed up his cheeks like a blow fish and we continued on in our own little personal conversation. We ended our conversation laughing with each other when we weren't even in the same room and the world was scurrying loudly around us. Our little playful conversation let me show him that I love him and he returned the affection. Over the distance with no words spoken and no high-fives or hugs exchanged, we are stronger friends now.

Yes, actions speak louder than words. But I'd like to add that sometimes subtle actions speak louder than big actions. It's good to follow St. Francis' advice but I now realize it's not only big mission trips or hours at the Gospel Mission that preach the Gospel. Sometimes, the love of the Gospel can be shown when you're not even in the same room as someone. If my little guy can understand at this point that I love him then, hopefully, when he hears again about Jesus' love he can understand it a little bit more.

Go out and preach today!

Service

This week and next week is holiday for the schools. This means there's lots of kids, nothing to do and a lot of trouble they could get in to. To contribute to the prevention of trouble, Kuyasa steps up the programming. In the mornings we have Kids Games for the younger ones. It involves, you guessed it, games! I'm a station leader and have been able to pull out some of my Camp Geneva games which has been a lot of fun. I suppose it's good to know Car Lot is successful no matter what hemisphere you're in! I also had a triple jump competition one day and am still standing in awe of their natural talent...once a trackster, always a trackster?!

In the afternoons there were service projects available for the youth. I worked with the Appreciation Team baking cakes and making cards for public services and organizations in the community like other NGOs, social workers, the clinic, police, schools, etc. The sole purpose was to say thank you and let them know their work is noticed and appreciated. Tuesday was one of the delivery days so I went with a group of 8 students to deliver three of the cakes. Two of our stops were at NGOs who are doing great things in the community. At both of these places there were staff members who cried a little bit because of the generosity of the students. We chatted and prayed with them and it was obvious they were rejuvenated and encouraged in their draining work. Being the lone white girl in a group of youth caused them to think I had a lot to do with this project. It was great to contradict them and let them know it was all the students' doing and I really had nothing to do with it!

The youth were eager and willing to make and deliver cakes and cards to uplift others. They were taking possession of a project to better their home by encouraging the very people who are actively doing just that. In our debriefing times it was obvious they recognized the rewards that came where they didn't expect it. My group saw the joy and gratefulness of the ladies we visited. They were also encouraged to work hard in school and to make choices which build them up instead of tear them down. The group who went to the fire station got to ride in the fire truck which was a new and fun experience for them. The rewards flowed in for these kids because they sacrificially gave of their time to think of others.

I have noticed this same type of thing in my time here. I have been blessed way more then I've been a blessing, I am sure. My joy, peace and happiness have increased as I've invested a little time into a few kids.

I encourage you today to serve someone with no expectations for anything in return. I then pray that through the experience you are blessed 100 times over.

Have a great Easter! Eat some chocolate for me :)

Good Day

Tonight I was trying to figure out why my everyday life excites me and makes me so happy. I pretty much do the same thing everyday but am far from bored. I think that's when you know you're in love with something - you don't do anything great or exciting but your day was still great and exciting.

I've been sharing specific stories for the past several posts but right now I want to bring you on a journey of my day today.

The Kuyasa Kids Children's Choir performs every year on a tour of the States. It is no small task getting 20 kids ready to go to another country for 3 weeks. Today it all came together and we got them on the plane. As we walked up to the security queue, I walked arm and arm with one of the girls. Besides the fact that walking with arms looped is one of my favorite things in the world, it was great to share in her excitement and to settle her nerves. It was time to say good bye and big hugs were shared with words of encouragement and love. How great is it that I've gotten to the point where the kids want to give me, this weird American chick, a hug good bye before they get on the plane?!

After they were through security we headed down to get a real live, non-instant coffee to accompany some conversation! Life lesson: Cherish every cup of coffee.

Several times a week I think how cool these kids are and how I wish I had their vision and passion.
Sinesipho is a Grade 9 student. Today we were talking about her dreams and wishes for her life. I was thinking she was going to say something along the lines of wanting some cool job so she could make money or wanting to drive a cool car. It gives me such hope to know there are kids who think bigger than I do. They see my little box that I put everything into and blow it wide open. So good.
This is a summary of what she said:
I wish the violence in Kayamandi would stop. I don't want to keep going home and seeing people drinking, doing drugs, fighting and pulling out knives. I know God will redeem Kayamandi but I wish it would be right now. I come to Kuyasa every day and hang out for as long as I can because Kuyasa is safe, fun and it helps me grow. It is a place changing Kayamandi. I am going to be a journalist to bring awareness to the problems but also the good stuff in Kayamandi. I want to be a journalist in America for a little bit so Americans would learn Africa isn't only lions walking down the road.
She paused to ask why all Americans think there are lions everywhere. To this I only laughed and said we all watch too much Discovery Channel! She's a funny (and observant) one!
She continued with:
I want Americans to understand Africa isn't just bad like they think. I want them to see me and how I am a normal person because then Americans would use some of their money to help. I am happy and I know everything is going to change. I know God will make it all ok. I know God will stop the violence. I want them to know how good Africa is and to stop focusing on the bad stuff. I just want the violence to stop and I think this is how I can help.
I sat with a sense of awe, excitement and astonishment. She sees the big picture. She sees the major problem and has a very clear path to helping in the solution. Because of Sinesipho, Kayamandi will be changed.

Next came conversations with some of the interns at Kuyasa. They are such fun people and we ended up taking tons of pictures. We took nice pictures and pictures where they imitated how I apparently look after I'm done with the creche kids and some in between! It was funny and made me laugh for a long time!

On the way home I was blessed with the most beautiful sunset I have ever seen. Imagine the best Lake Michigan sunset with every color imaginable showing and multiply that by a billion and that's how the sunset was. It was unbelievable and a great blessing to cap a great day.

After all of this I realized it's not just a good day - it extends into a good week and a good month. Not a "I'm good" when the world is falling apart kind of a good; a deep and sincere good. It was a simple day full of nothing out of the ordinary. God works wonders in the ordinary. I am so happy by doing ordinary things and by searching out God's little details to bless my day.

Most likely you will have an ordinary day today. In that, I encourage you to revel in it and in the little extra-ordinary blessings God creates just for you to see.

be well

Conversation

"So, how was your week this week?"
"It was great!"
"What did you do?"
"Ummmm, well, I didn't really do anything."
"What do you mean you didn't do anything?! What did you do all day long?"
"I talked."

Take a look at Luke 24:13-15
That same day two of Jesus' followers were walking to the village of Emmaus, seven miles from Jerusalem. As they walked along they were talking about everything that had happened. As they talked and discussed these things, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them.

I didn't really do anything this week in terms of crossing items off a list. We canceled classes because the University was on holiday resulting in not enough bodies/teachers/crowd controllers to do class. But there were intangibles accomplished. I had great conversations that extended for significant chunks of time. I went on a power walk and talked about characteristics of friendship. I sat at the table and talked about what the Bible has been revealing recently. I drove and talked about God's recognition and blessings of sacrifice and service. I sat on the wall and talked about the stress of deadlines. I sat at dinner and talked about my passion of meeting basic needs and how that coincides with Jesus' ministry. I sipped a delicious milk shake and found out one of my friends has worked with some of my former Hope teammates in the Eastern Cape (can you say small world???). I talked about everything from the crisis of my chocolate supply ending to the pain, burden, sadness, joy, love, hope and excitement that has enveloped me in the past several weeks. I listened to everything from childhood memories to God's guidance in ministry. I learned, I shared and I have a huge smile on my face because of it. It was wonderful!! I'm for real, it was really good!

It is WAY too easy to get wrapped up in whatever I am doing; be it here or in the States. There's always going to be another child saying, "sisNora, look!" Someone is always going to need a pencil. There is always a database or curriculum to work on. In the States there will always be work to do, projects due, a house to clean and meetings to attend.

But what about the people I spend my every day life with?
Do I completely understand his life?
How did he get that scar on his leg?
Why does she want to go to University?
What did he have for breakfast?
What did she learn in school today?
What makes her smile and what causes tears to roll down his cheek?

Equally as important: Do they know my answers to all these questions?

I think I can answer "yes" to more of those questions today than I could a week ago. It was a successful week full of accomplishment! It is more than just knowing about a person. It is about actually knowing a person. The only way that can happen is through conversation. I am blessed and in love because of a few conversations. My room is dirty and the amount of laundry I have is intimidating but I know my people. So worth it!

God blesses conversation. Jesus joined the conversation of the two traveling to Emmaus. The two were talking about what had just happened; they were talking about their lives. That's all a conversation is - teaching and learning about life. God's all about relationships and He knows nothing can grow without conversation. Just like He did with the travelers, Jesus joined my conversations this week. Let's be honest, that's pretty cool!

I pray you are able to have at least 1 great conversation this week.
At least 1 conversation that carries on for longer than 15 minutes.
At least 1 conversation that's not: "Hey! How are you?" "I'm good, thanks. And you?" "I'm fine, thanks. Welp, have a good day!"
Maybe a conversation with someone you haven't talked to in awhile?
I plan on doing all of these and I'm super pumped about it!
I pray the words will flow freely, without hesitation and without judgment but with emotion, realness and love. That all sounds really good to me!


get excited about life!

Orange Fish

A 4 year old has the power to bring out 2 extreme emotions in me.

The majority of the time: "Oh, I swear to you right now, child, I am for serious when I say you better stop fill in the blank with some sort of 4 year old boy mischief."
The rest of the time it's: "Wow! You are the cutest little child that has ever walked the face of this earth. I hope you know that I love you!"

His name is Bonga and I love him to death. There are days (a lot of days) he drives me crazy and is the naughtiest little guy ever. Then there are times where I fall deeply in love with this little boy. He is one of the ways God blesses me on a daily basis. If I am upset/tired/overwhelmed about anything, big or small, Bonga seems to find me, grab me around my legs and look up at me with an indescribable smile that brightens my day. He even brightens the days that I didn't know could get any brighter! He absolutely holds my heart in his hand.

Last Thursday I was finishing up my preschool class with the epic novel Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What do you see? We were practicing colors and names of animals accompanied with fun animal noises and such. When I was done reading I let the kids go but Bonga stayed around, grabbed the book and thrust it up at me. So, I sat down in the chair to re-read it with him. He proceeded in kneeling between my knees, putting his arms over my knees and swinging back and forth on his armpits...kind of like the parallel bars in gymnastics, but not quite :) I would turn the page, he would offer up all of the descriptive words he could remember and I would fill in the gaps. We continued on like this page after page while we went through the book 3 more times to his demanding. He would use me as his swing, I would point to the picture, he would try to think if it was called a bird or a cat and whether it was red or blue. He was getting about 60% of them correct...not too shabby for a boy whose only English in the day comes during our short time together. But, every time we came across something orange his eyes would get wide and his grin would explode while he shouted "Orange!" There are many theories as to why he may like and remember this color above all other colors but I think it's because, secretly, he's a Hope College fan. Anyways, he had this same reaction every time we came across a fish. And, when we got to the always exciting orange fish, hold on because he got super pumped!

"ORANGE FISH!"

I understand this is just a seemingly insignificant story but Bonga made me smile and laugh with his "orange fish" excitement long after the book was put away. Writing this several days after our story time still makes me smile and overwhelms my heart with happiness.

It has made me realize that I love these kids, this place and this life deeply. My love pretty much quadrupled last week. I thought I loved it but I've come upon a whole new level...an orange fish level. There is no logical explanation as to the reasoning behind this jump occurring last week. But, why do I always analyze things for a logical explanation?

It's plain and simple: God was romancing me (He's doing this A LOT recently) and, in the mean time, helping me understand His love. I know that my love for Bonga is no where near God's love for me but I'm understanding it a little bit more. Most of the time Bonga is naughty and driving me crazy. But there are other times, the times I cherish and remember most, where he swings on my knees in appreciation, learning and love. It's those times that stick in my memory and the times that will break into my thoughts when his name is mentioned. Tomorrow he will probably be running around like a crazy person or swinging from the ceiling beams but I still love him ridiculously a lot.
I'm sure there are countless times where God is saying, "Oh, child, you are driving me crazy!" His love for me, though, washes over that. Just like I loved watching Bonga get excited, I think God likes watching me get excited. He gives me Bonga, along with all the other kids and experiences here, as my orange fish. Despite how I behaved that day, at the end of the day, the only thing God says is "Oh, how I love you!" as I swing on His knees in eager expectation for Him to turn the page and there to be an orange fish displayed for me.

I know I just had a post with song lyrics in it but songs are getting me excited right now so I want to share it with you:

David Crowder's How He Loves

He is jealous for me, Loves like a hurricane, I am a tree,
Bending beneath the weight of His wind and mercy.
When all of a sudden, I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory,
And I realize just how beautiful You are,
And how great Your affections are for me.

And oh, how He loves us oh
Oh how He loves us,
How He loves us all

He is jealous for me, Loves like a hurricane, I am a tree,
Bending beneath the weight of His wind and mercy.
When all of a sudden, I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory,
And I realize just how beautiful You are,
And how great Your affections are for me.

And oh, how He loves us oh,
Oh how He loves us,
How He loves us all

He loves us,
Oh how He loves us,
Oh how He loves us,
Oh how He loves.

And we are His portion and He is our prize,
Drawn to redemption by the grace in His eyes,
If His grace is an ocean, we're all sinking.
And heaven meets earth like an unforeseen kiss,
And my heart turns violently inside my chest,
I don't have time to maintain these regrets,
When I think about, the way...

That He loves us,
Oh how He loves us,
Oh how He loves us,
Oh how He loves.
Yeah, He loves us,
Oh how He loves us,
Oh how He loves us,
Oh how He loves.

Yeah, He loves us,
Oh how He loves us,
Oh how He loves us,
Oh how He loves.



I hope you find your orange fish today

Joy

It would be easy for me to write about the pain and suffering encamped in Kayamandi. In the past couple days heartbreaking events have unfolded. One is of a girl with autism who comes to Kuyasa regularly. She showed up on Friday with a black eye and cigarette burns on her hands and thighs. The second is of an 18 year old girl who was brought to us because she has never attended school and needs someone to start from scratch (ABCs and counting) with her. I could write them in such a way as to break your heart, bring tears to your eyes and, maybe, stir you to do something about it.

But what about the ones that tease my spirit with joy? (Aunt Linda, I've begun to use your phrase more often!)
What about the ones...
where I laugh and smile so much my face hurts?
when my heart skips a beat from excitement?
when I am sure of my faith and my journey?
that I can point to in defense as to why nothing will shake my faith, why I'm happy, why I'm in love with my life and why I'm in love with this place?
What about those ones?

Well, here you go...
----------
Yesterday was 43C outside and 47C in the Learning Center. No, those are not typos, it was literally 120 degrees Fahrenheit! To put this into perspective, the crayons were actually melting. They drooped down as the kids held them in their hands to color. The kids were taking the crayons and sculpting little masterpieces out of the soft wax. It may be that my brain was actually cooking after being up there for about 5 hours with no ventilation but this put a huge smile on my face! They were loving it! Instead of complaining about not being able to color or that we were all sweating more than I thought was humanly possible, we were embracing the heat and the wonders it allowed us to create.
----------
We learned our lessons yesterday and decided to cancel the first session of classes today and have a water day with the little ones instead. We set up 3 stations: sand castle building, balance beam walk with a dismount into water and a water relay. The water relay made me laugh so hard I got a side cramp. Imagine this: 2 teams of about 13 preschoolers. They had to cup water in their hands, walk it down to a bucket about 7-8 meters away and dump the water that was left into the bucket. Ok, these kids are like 4 years old. Their hands are tiny and pretty much can't hold any water. But, they ran back and forth for about 15 minutes with excitement. The end result was about 1 centimeter of water in the buckets. Every time they reached the bucket and pretty much just shook their hands off into it they looked up with a huge smile on their faces and a giggle of accomplishment. After a "Great job!" and a high five they went back and did it all over again.
----------
This morning I absolutely took my time greeting the world. We didn't go into Kuyasa until 10 so I slept until 8, got up to the birds singing and a slight ease in temperature. I enjoyed a great breakfast of eggs, toast, a fruit salad and yogurt...quite the treat! Add to that a good cup of coffee and the morning was turning out great! After the glorious meal, I spent about an hour in my morning quiet devotional time just sipping coffee and letting the cool breeze surround me while meditating on the Psalms. Mmmm...so good!
----------
Last week's English class with my Grade 7 kids focused on speaking about anything you wanted for 1 solid minute. Some of the students were shy and could barely talk for 10 seconds without me prompting them with questions or topic ideas. Most of them spoke of their home life, family and school. Qhama was different. He was eager to speak and, when it was his turn, spoke fluent and profound words.

He said he thought prayer and fasting were incredibly important. He fasts and prays for Kayamandi and for changes to be made. He fasts and prays for Kuyasa and its ministry. He fasts and prays for God's light to shine in this township. He fasts and prays for God to be more present in his life, the lives of his peers and the life of his community.

He is 12 years old and much wiser then I could ever hope to be. His perspective is inspiring. It is not on himself. It is on his community and the work God wants him to do there. I sat in awe, wonder and inspiration after his 1 minute monologue. I want to be like this 12 year old. I want to have the passion, conviction, gumption and wisdom to tackle the issues he is so passionate about.
Wow!
----------
These are just 4 stories that have teased my spirit with joy in the last few days. Grasp onto these types of stories so when stories of abuse, rape, neglect, war and injustice bombard your life, you are 100% convinced there is good in this world. Keep these in the front of your brain so you know, without a doubt, that things are getting better. Hold these tight so you are confident you are making a difference in an overwhelming situation.

Do yourself a favor and sit back and think about what has teased your spirit with joy today. Take a break to reflect and smile. It's good for your soul!

Church

Sunday morning I tagged along to church with a Pneumatix staff member and a couple students. I chose to go with them purely because they were leaving when I was up and ready to go. I thought we were going to a "normal" church but was blessed by finding the contrary.

We parked and walked up to an Irish Pub. This is when I realized maybe things weren't as I assumed them to be. Through tidbits of conversation (as most of it was in Afrikaans) I came to realize that this church I am going to is a plant church called More Wine with no building, no official head pastor and about 25 members. It turns out there was a fire in the pub last night so we couldn't use it. Some phone calls were made to see if there was another place we could hold our service.

We ended up at a cigar lounge (selling a R21,000 shot of whiskey...roughly $3,000!) in the middle of a beautiful vineyard. This small, intimate group sat on the deck overlooking the circle of mountains emerging from rolling hills of vines as far as the eye could see. God's handiwork as our backdrop. We drank coffee and had a time of fellowship for about an hour. Then there was a "sermon" where a vulnerable and difficult conversation was started by a noble man-of-God with reading of Scripture from John 4 and its relevance to his life. It was a "ok, God, I'm listening" moment as this man seemed to echo word-for-word the lament of my heart. Conversation in response was encouraged. Prayer requests were shared. And then small groups of 3-5 were formed for a time of prayer and vulnerability. I'd say it's pretty well known that being vulnerable and open with strangers isn't really my forte. But the words and emotions flowed with ease and encouragement, without judgment. I was in a safe place of unconditional love and support.

When it was time to go (about 3 hours after we arrived) I knew this was what Church was intended to be. It was not intended to be an impersonal institution with a random guy talking up front. It was intended to be a group of people sharing and inviting God into a conversation about the times of loss and the times of plenty in their lives. It was intended to be a group of people sharing life with God and with each other; the manifestation of Love God and Love People. It was a relationship with a handful of my brothers and sisters. We were friends and a support system purely based on our common relationships with Jesus. No other facts about our lives were needed in order to become a family.

I felt as if God was smiling the entire time saying, "Yes! This is what I want for my children!" And, since I'm pretty confident my God embraces the phrases of His kids, I think He added in a "Fire up!" along with a little happy dance!

Along with the words spoken into my heart from John 4, the words of It is Well With My Soul gushed in and pulled me up into God's soft, tender and strong embrace.

When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say,
It is well, it is well, with my soul

It is well, with my soul,
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ has regarded my helpless estate,
And hath shed His own blood for my soul.

It is well, with my soul,
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, it is well, with my soul

My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!
My sin, not in part but the whole,
Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!

It is well, with my soul,
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, it is well, with my soul

For me, be it Christ, be it Christ hence to live:
If Jordan above me shall roll,
No pang shall by mine, for in death as in life
Thou wilt whisper Thy peace to my soul.

It is well, with my soul,
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, it is well, with my soul

But, Lord, 'tis for Thee, for Thy coming we wait,
The sky, not the grace, is our goal;
Oh trump of the angel! Oh voice of the Lord!
Blessed hope, blessed rest of my soul!

It is well, with my soul,
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, it is well, with my soul

And Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight,
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;
The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,
Even so, it is well with my soul.

It is well, with my soul,
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, it is well, with my soul



Be well this day

New Definitions

I learned a very appropriate Xhosa phrase yesterday:
ku shushu kakhulu
Roughly translated it means: "It is way too hot to function. I might actually spontaneously combust. Please thrown me into a pool of ice water!"

In the past 7 weeks I've had to redefine a lot of my American ways of thinking and approaches to life.

A first example is my new definition of hot. 40 degrees Celsius combined with humidity is kind of ridiculous. I know it's cold in the States but, seriously, you don't wish it was this hot.

Second, I have a whole new definition of tiredness. It's one thing to be physically tired during track season or mentally tired during exam week. It's a whole other thing to be emotionally exhausted. I absolutely, 100% mean it when I continuously tell my kids they are beautiful and wonderful. I let my heart speak. That takes a lot. I give a little of my love to them in every discussion of a nucleus and every math problem. That takes a lot. What takes the most are situations like this:
10 year old girl. Her mother died Saturday. She is living with her grandmother, along with her 2 year old brother. I let her wash dishes with me and she drops a plate. I am soaked with dirty water as she looks up at me apologetically. I laugh and pull her into me. My heart is broken into a million pieces. I do my best to transfer love, acceptance, comfort and stability in 1 hug.
That takes a lot.

Lastly, and probably most difficult, I have a whole new definition of productivity.

In the States:

1. Respond to 10 emails

2. Mop the floor

3. Wash the car
4. Go to the bank

5. Get gas in the car

These five tasks are easily accomplished on a Saturday morning...no big deal.

The American culture and, consequently, my way of thinking is very task oriented. If I can't scratch items off my list then I have accomplished nothing. Part of the reason I make lists to begin with is just for the satisfaction of crossing things off. Sometimes when I make a really long list I write things on there that I already did just so I can cross them off and trick myself into thinking I've actually accomplished something. At work or at school we are given tasks to perform. Our worth is decided on how well and how quickly we accomplish these tasks. You are not given an A because you go in and ask how the professor is doing. You earn an A because you struggled with the homework, studied for the tests and did everything well. You completed the tasks assigned.

Here's where cultural differences come into play. The Xhosa culture is no where near task oriented. It is purely relationship based. If someone tells you they will work on something right now, expect it no sooner then 2 hours later. They will see someone and begin a conversation with them. They will go get coffee and have a chat with everyone else that's there. Relationships and people, not tasks, control the culture. It is not uncommon that my hand will be grabbed during a conversation or on a walk and held for several minutes. I am important, not the business conversation we are having or our final destination. It is liberating and breathes a sense of life into me. Everyone else matters, not my list.

This is what I am seeing, what I am living and what I am absolutely, unbelievably, uncontrollably loving! It's difficult, though, and I am torn. I am learning to be truly and fully relationship based. I have built so many amazing friendships. But, then, I am so far away from some of the most important relationships in my life. How am I supposed to reconcile this? I took on the task of serving in Kayamandi for 5 months to form relationships and I am saddened and shocked that I only have 90 days left. Time has flown by and I love this place. But, at the same moment, I willingly left behind relationships. I'm missing out on birthdays, performances, competitions, speeches and doing life with the people I love. Sometimes it's hard. It's a sacrifice. It doesn't make sense. But it's lovely and exciting. It's my God. This is my God. This is His doing. And that makes me smile. That makes me comforted. That reminds me why I left and reassures me that, no matter where I am, I am still doing life with all the people that make up my life.

love to every single one of you.

Math

I would like to take a survey:
How many people have prayed for the opportunity to do math?
Yeah, that's what I thought, no one. I'm pretty sure no one ever prays for more math. But, that's exactly what I did Monday night.

The students who did not pass their math exams in December have the opportunity to retake the exams this week so they can officially graduate. Since procrastination is the name of the game here they are all panicking. Several girls have come to me for help. The problem is that the only time they could come were the afternoons when I am crazy busy with my other classes. They had come to me knowing I would help them but it turned out I couldn't. I was too busy and this upset me. The States is the place to be too busy, not here in Africa.

So, Monday night I prayed that there would be an opportunity to tutor these students. Yes, an opportunity to do geometry, algebra and trig!

There is construction happening at Kuyasa which is causing some additional chaos. It got to a point today that we could not hold our first session of classes. I wasn't going to have anything to do when a girl walked into the Learning Center wondering if I had time today to help her. And I did! When I was done helping her another girl walked in needing some help and wondering if I had time. And I did! Her work schedule was rearranged this week and she has tomorrow morning free so we're going to do 3-4 hard core hours of studying in the morning, also.

My busy schedule melted away when I needed it to.

It was a plain, simple and obvious answer to prayer. I serve a very cool God!

Contrast

black vs. white
poor vs. rich
soccer vs. rugby
bare feet vs. designer sandals
shack vs. house
pap vs. steak
majority vs. minority
Xhosa vs. Afrikaans

I spend my weeks with one of South Africa's poorest communities. I take kids and students into my arms who are abused, raped, orphaned, abandoned, hungry, sick and tired. They are my loves. They get me out of bed in the morning. I run around for hours a day doing life with my African family. I am exhausted and dependent on morning coffee but would have it no other way. That is Xhosa life.
This weekend I fully experienced the Afrikaans life. A friend from Pneumatix won a contest for a free "Girl's Night Out" in Cape Town on Friday night. I had to go out and get something to wear and we had a night on the town. There was a fashion show, popular South African bands, a live DJ and dinner. They wined-and-dined us until we were content.

These two worlds contrast each other in every single aspect. I have yet to figure out how to blend them together. I'm not even sure if these two can be blended. The entire time I was in Cape Town I was uncomfortable. I wanted to pull my hair back into a pony-tail. I wanted to take off my heels and run around bare foot. I wanted to trade in my dress for jeans and a t-shirt. I wanted to trade lifting my fork full of classy cuisine for lifting a child. I was also distracted with concern for my kids. Here I am having a high class evening when I know some of my kids in Kayamandi didn't eat after school and others are being abused by their fathers.

Then I was forced to think: Am I here to "experience South Africa" or am I here to love, nurture, teach and encourage? The latter is what I chose. It is nice to have a weekend to get-away, to refresh after adjusting to a completely different world the past 6 weeks, but I did not come here as an American tourist on a feel-good holiday. I willingly left the comforts of a land of wealth to get dirty, to laugh, to cry and to live the Xhosa life. This might be a case of "you can take the girl out of Kayamandi but you can't take the Kayamandi out of the girl." I have committed to the world in Kayamandi and it has become a part of me.

We are told to follow Jesus' example. My summary of the example He left is this:
My God left the splendor and glory of Heaven. He left the community with His Father to lower himself to a mere human. He could have lived in a Roman palace and become king over everything but He chose to live with the poor and needy. He sacrificed absolutely everything for me.

That is what I am created to follow. It may seem that this lifestyle contrasts with everything in the Western culture. But all it says is to take the mindset of a humble, obedient servant. I firmly believe not every person is to go to Africa or a developing country. God did not put that desire or call on very many people. I'm also not saying that the Western world is bad by any means. In fact, I think it is very good most of the time. But there are definitely 2 contrasting worlds available; the one of contentment and apathy or the one of acknowledgment and action. These two exist in every world. I suppose these are the thoughts I will carry with me if I ever go back for a night out in Cape Town.

peace.

Sigh

Deep breath.

A sigh is usually the result of exhaustion, stress or being overwhelmed...all very adult emotions. A deep sigh along with a meditation of "in with the good, out with the bad" and some coffee can keep a busy adult going for a long time. Yesterday I was absolutely exhausted. I packed the past couple days full with teaching, tutoring, leading, loving, encouraging, running, coloring and dancing. I caught myself sighing frequently; probably because I was so tired I forgot to breathe :) The point I want to make is sighing is something "grown-ups" do.

After my preschool class I was watching the kids play. I felt little hands grab my pants and a head against my knees. Although it wasn't with the usual defensive tackle force the kids muster up when running at me, I nonetheless expected to look down at a beautiful face shining back at me with a smile. But, instead, I looked down to find a little guy no more than 2 1/2 years old, not coming up much past my knees with his head hung low in a position of defeat. He was gripping onto my jeans with a sense of desperation. I grabbed his hands to encourage him to look up at me. His demeanor did not change. His arms were held up in my hands but his head still hung low. I knelt down to his level hoping he would now smile at me but his head still hung low. Finally, after a few encouraging words, he looked up at me and sighed a deep sigh. His eyes looked as tired and worn-out as I imagined mine to look. The only difference is that my little man is 2 years old. This absolutely broke my heart. Tears started forming in my eyes as I pulled him into my arms. What does my man go through every day to make him come to a point where he looks more like an adult and sighs as if his life is wearing him down? So, I held him in my arms as he gripped my shirt and buried his face in my neck.

I am disappointed this is all I can do for my little guy. I can hold him, rock him and speak words of encouragement, love and promise but I can not make his life easier. I can not make sure he gets 3 square meals a day. I can not make sure he is in a warm and comfortable bed by 7:30. I can not make sure his nose is wiped and his hands are clean. I can not remove his burden. I can not.

Luckily it doesn't end with me
Come to me all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.

Feet

When I was little, I knew it was a quality day when I would have to go into the bathroom, sit on the edge of the bath tub and wash my feet before doing anything else. Somewhere in the growing up process we decide it is better to wear shoes and avoid the dirt. Well, I've returned to the joys of childhood! I have to wash my feet every night before going to bed...it's a great feeling! One of the great things about this place is that you aren't looked at funny or asked to leave if you don't have shoes on. And, since I've never really liked wearing shoes that much, I take advantage of the no shoe acceptance. If I must put on some sort of foot wear I pick flip-flops, which don't really keep the dirt away any better then bare feet. Running in the sand court, walking around Kuyasa or going for walks at Pneumatix make my feet look well used. And if we aren't going to let our feet take us on adventures or build relationships, then what a waste of perfectly good space! Free feet just makes life more enjoyable...there's a sense of enjoyment and care-free actions when my feet can breathe.

I read The Foot Book with my preschoolers today, complete with actions and dancing. Bet you never thought about the dances that can go along with Dr. Seuss' masterpiece! But the dances are there and can keep a 4 year old's attention for about 5 minutes. Those 5 minutes are about 4 1/2 minutes longer then the normal attention span, so I count it as a victory!

It wasn't until tonight that Dr. Seuss' profound words in The Foot Book made me think:
"Oh how many, many feet you meet!"
You might not think of these words as profound, but they really are. Many feet have crossed my path and my feet have crossed many paths in the last several weeks. What a great privilege! These feet have taken me up mountains, up stairs to a Learning Center filled with eager (and rambunctious) children and youth, through doors to a kitchen full of food for 200 hungry kids, along the ocean and into the lives of countless people; many of them with feet that can tell stories of hardship, pain, hope, joy and love. The places and people my feet have taken me will forever change my life. They have led me on treks discovering my passions and gifts, evaluating my worldview's relevance in a new context and making me aware of what and who I truly love. Who knew feet could do so much?!

As I'm falling into my routine at Kuyasa I want to challenge myself to recognize the moments that my feet bring a new friend into my life, give me an opportunity to love a child, bless me with a soccer game or take me to a quiet and restful place.
Oh how many, many feet you meet!

I'm going to go wash my feet now and go to bed!

love.


On a completely different note:
I wanted to inform you of a support option in addition to my last post. An account has been set up for me at my church. For a tax deduction, a check can be made out to Haven Church. It can still be mailed to my parents

Scott & Ann Kuiper
5863 Chandra
Kalamazoo, MI 49004

100% of the funding will still go to me but this offers you an option for a tax deduction that is not available if you make a check out to me.

Partnership

Hello once again!

This isn't how I would prefer to have this conversation but I have found myself with a problem. All of my financing was in progress before I left. It was not completely finalized but I was reassured that it would be. However, some problems arose and I no longer have any funding. I am continuing on with my ministries, trusting that my God will come through and I firmly believe I am supposed to be here. As you can tell from my other posts, I have fallen in love with the beauty of God's creation I am so fortunate to be in the middle of and have formed some really great relationships with kids and students. I ask that you prayerfully consider partnering with me by supporting me financially so I can keep my 5 month commitment in Cape Town.

There are several stories in my other postings but here are two other experiences that have touched me so far...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I have always felt God's presence when out in His creation. The intricacies and unbelievable details and care He fashioned into this world are breath-taking. Cape Town is one of, if not the most, beautiful places on earth where God's handiwork is on display. The wonderfully blue sea is surrounded by exquisite landscapes of mountains with vineyards rolling through the valleys. I can not fully express the phenomenon I get to look at everyday! The first week I was here I went up to Gordon's Bay Dam with some Pneumatix staff. It is up in the mountains overlooking the sea and all of Cape Town. The storm was rolling in over the mountains and it was a privilege to witness!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
As part of Kuyasa's Learning Center ministry, school supplies are passed out so the kids who normally won't have supplies have something to take to school. One girl who came was obviously from a struggling home. Her clothes were too small and she was very skinny. She later told us she lives with her sister and her parents are not around. Kayamandi is a poor place to begin with and her situation is made worse with an unstable home life. After the mass of kids getting school supplies left, we asked her to stay for a few minutes. I went to retrieve some bags of clothes and we were able to find several outfits for this student and she was so excited about it! Later, another staff member told us this student had come running down to her to show off her new wardrobe with exclamations of joy!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
There is a deep ache in my heart for these kids. They get me out of bed in the morning with excitement to face the world. The blessings in my life are overflowing! It is much more that I deserve but I promise you I will do my best to glorify God while I am here.

So, please consider supporting my ministry. I will need aboiut $15,000 to cover my flights, room, food, transport and personal supplies for the 5 months. It's more than supporting my basic needs. It's allowing me to use my God given gifts to, hopefully, impact a couple kids' lives and change my life forever.

Please make checks payable to me and mail them to my parents' house:
Ann & Scott Kuiper
5863 Chandra
Kalamazoo, MI 49004
They will deposit everything directly into my account.

Please feel free to email (nora.kuiper@gmail.com) or facebook me with any questions. Or just to say hi :)

I want to reassure you I am having a great time despite this issue. I also sent out an email with this information and my parents are sending it through the mail. Please do not feel like you are being bombarded because that is not my intention. I am purely trying to reach as many people as possible.

Thank you for your continued prayers and encouragement! It means a lot to me!

Have a great weekend!

The Children Are Coming! The Children Are Coming!

Hello from Cape Town!

Sorry I haven't updated this in awhile. There's been internet issues...This Is Africa!

First, and most importantly, Happy Belated Groundhog Day!

A lot has happened since my last post. I've decided to focus my time on Kuyasa. I will be spending Monday-Thursday at Kuyasa and Friday at Pneumatix. The programs began this week and it has been great! Kuyasa touches 300+ kids a day and it absolutely comes alive with them. In the mornings I've continued to tutor a couple guys who didn't pass their Grade 12 maths and physics/chemistry exams in December. Their exams are quite difficult and remind me a lot of an AP exam. It's been interesting to begin to understand the education system here. To go on to the next grade a student must pass exams at the end of the year. They don't call it "taking an exam" but "writing a paper." I initially thought they actually had to write a math paper or something like that and I couldn't figure out what they wrote about! For every subject there are 2 separate exams with each taking 3 hours to complete. "Pass" usually means above a 40%. I know these guys are smart. It is immediately obvious when you have a conversation with them. The problem is they aren't taught to problem solve or think independently. So, when they have to do that on an exam, the success rate isn't so good. For example, of the 85 Grade 11 students at Kuyamandi High School, 15 advanced onto Grade 12. There was the same passing rate at the other high school in Kayamandi. However, 100% of the students who attended Kuyasa advanced to the next year.

After I tutor I help prepare for the preschool-Grade 3 students to come. Before they attend class, there is a feeding scheme. Imagine, 250+ kids who just got out of school, are hungry, and are waiting for their only hot meal of the day! There's definitely a sense of organized chaos. Once the kids are done eating they come to the Learning Center and are split up into their classes. I am teaching the preschoolers...no easy task! Xhosa kids are first taught English beginning in Grade 1 so my kids, obviously, don't speak English and my Xhosa is horrible. I usually have a translator to help but yesterday my translator disappeared after 30 minutes of my 1.5 hour class! Now I had 25 crazy 3-5 year olds and they can't understand a word I'm trying to say. The pandemonium certainly motivated me to learn some more Xhosa! I really have no idea how to control that many crazy kids but I'm sure the Xhosa won't hurt.

After the preschool-Grade 3 classes, the Grade 4-7 and Grade 8-10 students come. I've been teaching the Grade 7 students. They are so much fun!!! We've been able to play some games and have competitions to get everyone involved and, theoretically, make math & science less horrible for them. I think it might be working...yesterday, after class, 6 kids stayed around to do more math with me!

In addition to all of this, on Monday nights I'm going to be a small group leader for a group called Women of Wisdom (WOW). The goal of WOW is to create strong female leaders in the community through the teenage girls. We're going to go through a study of Job which will, hopefully, allow the girls to be vulnerable and honest about their life experiences and build them up into strong and courageous members of the community.

At the end of the day I am exhausted but with every day I am falling more and more in love with these kids. There is something about a little guy running up to jump on you and give you a hug or a student saying "thank you Sis Nora, I understand it now" that makes the chaos and exhaustion so incredibly worth it! I was also fortunate enough today to walk around Kayamandi for a couple hours and really understand the situations and conditions my kids are living in. 20,000 people in tin houses, communal bath rooms and sewage running down the road makes me astonished my kids even have enough energy and stamina to go to school and get excited about everyday. But they do! Everyday they have a smile on their face that shines so incredibly bright!

It's been a fabulous week and I am so excited to go back tomorrow and do it all over again!

Shout Out Section
I thought I'd wrap up my red head theme...
Hi John!!! I was talking about Athletics with a couple kids and they were quite impressed I know someone who could jump over 2m. You're a legend!

Rachael Ray chicken and M&Ms

Happy Wednesday!

I spent all day on Monday and Tuesday at Kuyasa! The more time I spend there, the more I realize how much I love it! I sat in on the Monday morning staff prayer in which we prayed through Scripture for open doors, financial gifts, carry over of last year's effectiveness and for staff perseverance. I love praying through Scripture and really don't think it's done enough. Doesn't it make sense to pray God's own words and plans? The prayers were mixed between English and Xhosa. The significance of bilingual prayer is becoming more and more obvious to me.
I began my fascination with Heaven and Revelation while I was a counselor at Geneva and I can't help but think about this passage:

After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. And they cried out in a loud voice: "Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb." Rev 7:9-10

After our prayer time, I began tutoring a student who did not pass his grade 12 math & physical science (physics and chemistry) exams last year. He needs to matric in order to get a job at a ministry in Kayamandi and will retake the exams in November. There are 2 types of math taught in the high schools. One is Pure Math, which is your traditional algebra, calculus, geometry, etc. My student is in the other type of math called Math Literacy, which is more of an application based math. For example, we discussed inflation instead of straight percentage problems and painting a wall instead of area problems. This is definitely an easier math and better for those not wanting to go into a math based career but not so helpful when taken alongside physics and chemistry. Math Lit doesn't teach formulas and equations, which are essential in chem and physics. The schools combine a year of physics and chemistry into one course. From what I can tell it covers all of the usual Newtonian physics and general/analytical, basic organic and inorganic chemistry...quite a lot for 1 course! The math and chemistry won't be a problem for me but I'm going to have to reach back into my brain and find the physics information I so carefully tried to forget about after my wonderful Hope College physics experience! It will probably turn more into teaching instead of tutoring as several more students will be joining us. But I am really looking forward to using 4 years of knowledge to help these students pass and get jobs!

These very busy 2 days also involved finishing the grade 1 & grade 2 curriculum for the year. It was quite the task of 6 full days of work. Granted, everything takes about 3 times longer to accomplish then it would in the States but I'm glad I could do it so Cindy (Learning Center director) didn't have to waste her time but could instead make connections with the administration at the schools and do all of the other 1,000 things she does in a day. I also began planning the sports day with Sive (sports director) and 2 German volunteers. It's going to involve 300+ kids playing futsol (SA game similar to soccer) and basketball. We pretty much have more questions now than actual plans but everything will get worked out and the kids will have a ton of fun!

Monday nights I stay in Stellenbosch with Cindy and her husband to save on gas from Pnx. Cindy is American and we cooked an amazing American meal complete with Rachael Ray's breaded chicken recipe, a ridiculous amount of baked veggies, a huge mango and a salad! All the food groups I have been missing in my Afrikaans diet were present! And, to top it all off, I got real live M&Ms. Best. Meal. Ever. At Pnx the meals are very rushed and it was nice to enjoy a meal with good conversation and leisure...apparently a very American thing to do! Meals are such a great opportunity to have meaningful conversations and to share quality time together. Everyone's got to eat so why not make it a time to share and be together?! After dinner we watched a few episodes of the Office to add to a great evening. It's nice to have that back home connection every now and again. And, who knew chicken, M&Ms and the Office would be that connection for me?!

Today is my off day but I'm back to Kuyasa tomorrow and to the preschool Friday morning.

Another random section I've decided to include:
South African Terms That Confused Me
robot = stoplight

Mailing Address

I've been asked several times for my mailing address here. Ask and you shall receive:

Nora Kuiper
P.O. Box 247
Somerset West
7129
Cape Town
South Africa

The Little Things

Hello Again!

This second week in Cape Town was enjoyable again! I was able to spend 3 days at Kuyasa preparing and organizing curriculum, painting and tutoring a little bit. I've discovered how much time it actually takes to get a huge ministry like Kuyasa up and running after the Holiday break!

Big lesson from this week: Just because you think it's small and insignificant, doesn't mean it actually is.
Sive (Kuyasa's sports coordinator) needed me to create a flyer advertising Kuyasa's opening day for the sports program to be distributed throughout Kayamandi. I agreed to see what I could do and created a VERY simple thing in Word with a tiny bit of color and 2 clip art pictures from Word's library. It was so incredibly simple and not exciting. I was a little embarrassed that it was the best I could do when I called Sive over to look at it. His response surprised me..."Sister, this is perfect! Thank you so much! I did not know it was possible to make something this beautiful here at Kuyasa!" I responded with a skeptical, "are you serious?" thinking I might not be able to pick up on the sarcasm with his accent. But he assured me it was absolutely perfect. It was something I considered small and insignificant but was received as a great service and contribution to Kuyasa. It really is true that the small deeds are some of the most significant and can, in fact, make a difference. I've tried to take the mindset now to seek out whatever small thing I can do to encourage a kid or make the permanent staff have an easier day.
Sive also has recruited me as the leading candidate as a girl's basketball coach. I hope I'll actually get to coach because it would be so much fun!

Other highlights of the week:
I coached a grade 4 boy in long jump. The school was having a field day and he was participating in the high jump, long jump, shot put and 5K...quite the combo! When I heard this I obviously perked up and he agreed to go outside with me and show me his stuff. I may be a terrible long jumper but I know what it is supposed to look like! I gave him a few pointers and we had a competition where he may or may not have beaten me!
I also was able to spend some time at the beach yesterday just taking in the surroundings. And, again, the pale American got burned from the African sun...one of these days I'll remember to put sunscreen on!
I've also attempted to improve my Afrikaans, with little to no success, and added Xhosa to my language goals. Xhosa is the language blacks speak in this region. It involves a lot of clicks and is a REALLY tough language to learn.
Finally, I got up just before 5:00am Friday morning to watch the sunrise and spend some quiet time just myself, my Bible and the donkey and rooster who made their presence known! Watching the world wake up was a great blessing :)

This coming week I'm going to Kuyasa Monday, Tuesday and Thursday. Tomorrow I'm going to begin tutoring 1, but maybe up to 4, guys who failed their grade 12 math exam and need to pass it to get a job. It's going to be for about an hour a day three days a week until they retake the exam in March. Monday night I'm staying with Cindy (an American and director of Kuyasa's Learning Center) and her husband so someone from Pnx doesn't have to drive to Kayamandi to pick me up. And hopefully I'll get to go to the creche at Agape this week on Wednesday.

Shout Out Section!
Keeping with the red head theme from last time, I'd like to extend an energetic hello to Jenna and Mike and, of course, Mallory, too! I hope you 3 are enjoying school and learning lots!

Gladness

Frederick Beuchner wrote:
"The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladess and the world's deep hunger meet."

This quotation seems to have come to life for me. I've decided to spend most of my time at Kuyasa in Kayamandi purely because the fit of my passions and loves with their needs and wants is too perfect to be a coincidence. They need a chemistry tutor, a female sports coach and some basic computer/administrative work done...all things I can do and enjoy! There is a deep hunger for hope in escaping the norm of early teenage pregnancy, alcoholism and HIV. And my heart gets excited to know I have the ability to help out in a small way.

Kayamandi is a black township about a 25 minute drive from Pneumatix. They have an incredibly high HIV/AIDS rate and girls are getting pregnant well before any American school would think of having a serious sex education lesson. It is also an area controlled by alcoholism. Across the street is a colored township with a huge gang and methamphetamine problem. But Kuyasa is a shining light in a hurting area. Kuyasa commonly has kids finish their program alongside the public school requirements and go onto University. These students learn how to find a passion in a productive and healthy area.

I spent my first real day there today. Students will not start coming for two more weeks so the Kuyasa staff can get everything organized as last week was the first week back after Holiday. So I helped out Cindy (the Learning Center director who's American but has lived in SA for 5 years) with organization of the 30 week curriculum she created last year for the different grade levels. I am still in awe that she put everything together herself!

I met a girl in grade 9 and we were talking about how school was going. She said it was good except she really didn't like her natural sciences class. She said it was too hard and was in shock when I told her that's what I studied! We've made an agreement that if she works hard I will make sure she will pass natural sciences this term. It's that kind of thing and relationship that gets me so excited! I've come back to Pnx today happy and excited for tomorrow! However, something else I'll have to work on with her is her infatuation with the Jonas Brothers and Miley Cyrus. I'll need to convince her that just because it comes from American doesn't mean it's cool :) She was surprised when I told her I didn't know them personally. She said, "You are all from America, how do you not know them?" Maybe I should have told her I do know them and gained popularity among the girls!

I also attempted to figure out a problem with some of their computers. I have a basic enough grasp of computer things that I can usually fake my way through something and stumble upon the solution but I had no such luck this time. After struggling with it for about an hour it was brought to my attention that the last time this happened, and maybe the reason for the current problem, the rats had chewed through the wires...to which I could only reply with This Is Africa!

As a suggestion from the one and only Beth Olson, I'm going to start an occasional shout out section in my blogs. Pretty much, I don't see why not so it is now an official section!
Also as a suggestion from Beth, my first shout out goes to LUTE! Gotta love those red headed Iowans :)
So Lute...Hallo van Kaapstad! Ek hoop jy doen is wonderlik!
Disclaimer: I haven't actually learned any substantial Afrikaans. I cheated and used Google Translate.

Somewhere Over the Rainbow...

Hello from the most beautiful place on earth!

After 36 wonderful travel hours and 17 hours in the same flying metal tube, we were descending into Johannesburg with an absolutely beautiful full rainbow arching across the sky. Although I am yet to find the leprechaun and pot of gold in South Africa, it was an amazing greeting Monday night that brought to me a great sense of peace! Making this even better is the fact that rainbows are by far my favorite part of nature. I can't help but think of the rainbow in reference to God's promise to Noah never to destroy creation again and the formation of a covenant of partnership, love and dedication. Needless to say, the rainbow was quite the blessing! This was a sure sign of my God's kindness and compassion!

Daily breakdown...
Tuesday: After a significant amount of sleep and some unpacking, Maryna (Pneumatix's hospitality director) took me around Cape Town to pick up a few supplies and to see the sights. Most people are either mountain people or beach people. In Cape Town you don't have to decide! There are breath-taking mountains that go right up to the edge of the sea. It is hard to find the words to capture it's true beauty and a photo doesn't come close to doing it justice.

Wednesday: I spent the day at Kuyasa in Kayamandi township which is an after school program of sorts. They do an incredible amount of work in the township through a sports program teaching the skills and rules of basketball and soccer while incorporating life skills, a feeding scheme for about 250 pre-schoolers to third graders, a learning center to supplement the community school, a dance team...just to name a few. They knew nothing about me except that I am American so when I first introduced myself I tried to give the basics...I graduated with a degree in chemistry and I like sports. Jenny, the director, got all sorts of excited and told me they are in desperate need of a chemistry tutor/teacher, a female soccer & basketball coach and someone who can organize and create a database to keep track of the progress of their 450+ students. Funny how my interests and training are needed in South Africa, of all places!

Thursday: I visited Ubuntu House for a couple hours. It's a half-way house for newborns to 3 month old babies who are being adopted, are orphans or were abandoned by their mothers. This couple hours was really a challenge for me considering I've spent most of my life purposefully avoiding kids that are too young to walk and talk! I've declared on more than one occasion that I would be happiest when I had kids if I gave birth to 3rd graders :) But these babies need to be loved on and I've got 2 very capable arms to hold them. They deserve to know they were created on purpose and just because their mothers threw them out, does not mean they are worthless.

Friday: The day was spent at Agape in Grabouw. Agape has a lot going on with a house & school for special needs children with everything from autism to non-functioning legs and a separate creche for 2 to 5 year olds. I spent my time at the creche in the 3's & 4's room coloring, counting, playing outside (getting sunburn) and having a couple meals. These kids were adorable!

Early next week I will determine my weekly schedule. I would love to spend the majority of my time at Kuyasa as I feel that my passions and gifts will be best combined there. But I also had a ton of fun at the creche and am needed at Ubuntu, so we'll just have to see where I'm led!

Every day consisted of going up into the mountains or to the beach purely because it's too beautiful not to. Since Pneumatix is an arts school my eyes have been opened to the intricacies of our surroundings with the very specific colorings, shadings, placement and organization. We live in a very amazing place! Everyone's also been trying to teach me Afrikaans and my lack of language learning abilities has not helped the situation. Afrikaans originated as a Dutch & German combo but has turned into a crazy throaty language requiring a lot of phlegm to pronounce anything correctly and my nasally west Michigan accent seems to be getting in the way. Needless to say, I'm not learning too quickly. Cois (the director of Pneumatix and my original contact in South Africa) asks me everyday if I still feel American and has made it his goal to turn me into a full-fledged African! I've also spent a lot of time trying to explain why America is the way it is and that there is more to it than Obama, Iraq, cowboys and skinny celebs. It's funny because I feel like I've spent a good amount of time trying to break down American's African stereotypes and now I'm trying to break down the American stereotypes found in Africa.

All in all I'm doing well and have really enjoyed my first few days in Cape Town!

P.S. I also just found out I was accepted into the University of Michigan School of Public Health to complete a Master's beginning next fall!

So what exactly are you doing??

Through a lot of patience and a lot of conversations with a lot of different people I am set to go to Cape Town! I will be leaving January 10 and returning in June with enough time to re-acclimate and get ready for grad school. During my stay I will be living at a Bible College called Pneumatix. My contact in Cape Town, Cois, is the director of Pneumatix. I will stay in one of their guest rooms, eat meals with the students and have a driver...at least until I get used to driving on the other side of the road! There are a few organizations I will be working with...Horizon International in their Kuyasa Kids program, Unbuntu House, Agape Family Church and in orphanages in Cape Town and Grabouw. Kuyasa does a lot for the local children in Kayamandi Township with leadership, schooling, sports programming, dance & choir teams and feeding programs. Ubuntu is a half way house for orphaned babies. All of these organizations are heavily focused on the HIV/AIDS crisis and the huge number of children and teens impacted by the disease. Pneumatix students are involved with several ministries in and around Cape Town and I will be able to learn about the various ministries and get involved once I arrive. I may also have the opportunity to work in a basketball ministry and a prison ministry. It all just depends on how busy I'd like to be! Cois has made a point to emphasize the beauty of Cape Town and that I will probably want time to climb the mountains and sit on the cliffs over-looking the ocean every so often.

These are some websites associated with the work I will be doing...
Pneumatix
Pnx Guest Facilities
Google map of Somerset West
Horizon International
Kuyasa Kids
Ubuntu