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
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Saturday, March 20, 2010
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!
"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!
Sunday, March 14, 2010
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
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
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
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!
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!
Sunday, March 7, 2010
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
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
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
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!"
4. Go to the bank
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.
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 car4. 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.
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.
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