SAFARI!!!!!

(above is my bus/safari car group!) SUCH a perfect weekend!!! Oh it was so much fun! I have hundreds of stories to tell!!! So Friday we left at about 8:00 am and ate lunch on the road and ended up at the park about 1ish, then took an hour and a half safari car drive into the park about an hour and a half. Basically: after a journey long enough to take me from LA to Sacramento (yikes!) I was in a beautiful wildlife park out of the Lion King!


So we drive around and at first are awed by the spring buck, impala, zebras, warthogs...


And then our professor Reg stops and he's totally into the whole wildlife thing and he's awe struck because he's never seen a black rhino in the wild! (White rhino are common but black aren't) So we snapped plenty of photos for him! The one on the left has a big wound under it's face. The right one is a female. You can tell because she has deformed ears and I guess there's a genetic mutation with girls in black rhino! Weird! But so great to see them and also have Reg there who appreciated it so much!


We went out on two sunset (and two sunrise... aka 5:30AM!) drives where I see the most BEAUTIFUL sunsets and sunrises in the world. No joke, in the world! Mom, you would have died of happiness right then and there!!


So in our future explorations we see TONS of awesome stuff! Laura Jane mentioned her favorite part of the weekend was that every time we saw a new animal for the first time there was a gasp in the convoys and we all just stood staring at the majesty of each creature! They're HUGE! Elephant were my favorite! Second fav were giraffe :)




Also equally as awesome (but not as pretty) are the other animals such as cape buffalo, wildebeest, hyena, warthog etc. etc.! But we DID see lions from about 30 yards away! AND lions getting chased off by elephant. AND rhino and an elephant match off (elephant won). AND three rhino in a territorial match! AND baby elephants less than a week old!!! AND a heard of about 200 elephant traveling. AND pretty much had the most amazing time ever!!! Honestly it was so great! :)


(This video is when the heard of elephants was passing but one elephant had to take on a rhino (which didn't really get captured here) and then they pushed away lions and pressed on! I love elephants! You can tell I'm excited! Sorry I say "freaking"... I know it offends some people. Oops!


It was at least 105 degrees then humidity on Saturday so we sweat a TON! No makeup. It worked out that we were in tents and basically camping (with bunk beds) so no one really got ready for the day! The stars were beyond amazing. You could see ALL the stars and what looked like galaxies! The stars are different here because obviously I have a different view of space then you all at home so that's funny to see a totally different view!


And this trip was not the most "safe" trip either. We were literally in tents in the middle of the wildlife park in a spot that isn't often occupied by people so wild animals (including lion, scorpions, elephant, leopard, etc.) roam through the camp at night. So we always went with our flashlight in pairs of at least two and were prepped on what to do if encountered by an animal. There was one group who came 30 feet within an elephant (which is not like the zoo, it's pretty dang freaky!) and had to use their "back up slowly and don't take the flashlight off of it's eyes" technique. The guys had the girls get in a tent first and then they got away. Such a thrill though! We all loved it even though some of these things scared us half to death!

I've decided I've become pretty dang hard core since I've gotten here too! Like, when I see a spider while in the restroom I judge if I should be worried not based upon the size but how fast it could come towards me and how long I would have to get out. Lizards are a different story as they're always on the move. But if they're not more than 4 inches I don't really care. Moths are everywhere and as long as they're stationary I'm good (unless I'm in the shower then it freaks me out a little more!). A few ants on my food isn't a problem. Washing hands/having soap is a luxury sometimes (Still grossed out by that one though). Hot water is not expected but warm water is. My cleanliness is based on if the pilate light is still lit that day. Internet is also a luxury and never expected. I've thrown up more here than I have in the last 2 years (and the first time I've been without my Mom!) But even with all of that I'm still definitely not nature girl! Ha... but I have toughened up a lot!! Killed a cockroach today- no qualm. Oh, and I wore the headlamp the Aaron's leant me and definitely looked the part!!! :)


Ok so after our safari we went on a river boat and saw hippo and crocodile! I slept an hour out of the two but enjoyed the second hour! We were all really tired.



Our drive back we got a flat tire on probably the most dangerous part of the freeway, rounding a corner and pulling off into a "Truck only" lane at night. Our group was BEYOND awesome! The 10 of us kicked into gear. The boys jumped out and took flashlight duty to somehow guide the semis aside and we all packed up our stuff and I cleaned out the van in case we had to switch cars. Some people prayed for safety and others were picking up stuff too. We ended up having a spare but no tools so we had to wait for the other cars with tools to come. And mind you- it's like being on the gutter lane on the grapevine- no shoulder! So we prayed as a group for safety and stood by the railing so that if a semi that came didn't see us and Reg told us "JUMP!" we'd be ready to fly over and be safe. Praise the LORD we didn't have to do that drill! In ended up cutting up some ripe pineapple with a mini pocket knife that some people had bought a few hours before and we had a frightening little fiesta on the side of the road! And our leader Reg was AWESOME! Calm as can be and assertive. The boys got that tire on in no time when the tools came and we were off again! We were blessed to have police come by towards the end and their flashing lights gave our flash light people a break!

And that was an end to a very eventful week! Loved every minute (minus the flat tire, that was a little freaky at times) and really saw God in creation. Seeing the MASSIVENESS of those animals and the awesome way they walked and acted... it was truly an experience! I hope no one thinks I'm bragging... It really just was such an awesome experience!

Goodnight from Geoffrey and myself :) Back to service sites this week, preparing for finals next week, taking tests, making powerpoint presentations, writing my last paper, Skyping with people so I'm not a stranger, emailing, etc. etc. I'm having tons of fun though :) It's hard to be away sometimes but I will be home in 5 1/2 weeks! Got to make the best of this last time in Africa... for a while at least ;) And I really do appreciate all your guys' comments and emails. Although sometimes I'm too busy to respond quickly I love knowing that I'm not forgotten! :) Ok, it's way too late and I must go to sleep!


With love from South Africa,
Paige

(more pics on Facebook)

Thursday News

Hello!
So, I am able to update a little more now that I'm feeling better! (Sorry 'bout the random links in the post- don't know what happened there. Don't click on them)

NEW ADDRESS!!!!!! (Nothing should be sent past April 18th, giving it 3 weeks to reach SA.)
Paige Jennings
Cornerstone Christian College
524 Lansdowne Road
Lansdowne
7780, Western Cape
South Africa

Work sites:
Monday we had a great day at the work site. We planned a picnic and the women were SO responsive! We taught them how to make Grilled Cheese Sandwiches and they thought it was so weird at first but eventually thought they were alright. We cut up apples and took them all out and laid out blankets, ate, did a mini-talent show as we started singing and some women didn't mind the spotlight :) They tricked me into leading a song which is so humbling when their voices are AMAZING! But they don't even judge if your voice is "good" or "bad" so that's nice. They just want to hear you sing. We played dancing/singing games like "Jiggalo" and different games that most of us played on the playground. We even did the macarana! (sp?) That day was so successful and fun at the women's shelter.



At the school I was interviewed by a 4th grade class as to how America was like. it was so fun! We had over an hour of back and fourth discussion. I talked about SO much from the weather, celebrities and how they're not ALL OVER America, cars, my family, our school system, Obama (popular topic!), dating (they giggled), animals (laughed that we don't have monkeys. one girl asked SO many questions about dogs and cats! it was so funny!), parenting (here in Africa there is communal parenting that deeeefinitely is not in America!), how we have 50 states (they all gasped!).... etc. etc. etc. It was a great discussion and I felt like the class learned a lot!!

Tuesday:
At the women's shelter this day was a dud. It was hard following one of the most fun and successful days like Monday. The mood was really mellow and everyone was dispersed in the house and just chilling. We had planned "Speed Friendship" (like on the movie Hitch how there is speed dating- a few minutes with one person then you rotate to get to know each other better) and that definitely flopped. BUT even though our day wasn't "productive" per-say we definitely learned a lot in a simple conversation. Ashley and I sat down with two women and asked them about the house. They opened up and said they are so unhappy, that they don't like the leadership in the house, how they are discarded when they leave and have no where to go. I think this was a HUGE shock to both Ashley and I as we realize we've been here 3 weeks and did not even realize the severity of the problems we have been facing. So this next week, being our last week, we are coming on full force. We are doing interviews with all of the leadership positions to find out what the goals are for this house and how they're being maintained. We're doing small groups with the women separate from the leaders of the house and finding out the problems so we can address them and have the group address them with each other. Etc. etc. We are realizing we have one week left, 3 visits, and have so much to do. We're planning and praying like crazy. There's so much work that needs to be done that I haven't even shared. So we are working out butts off to make this possible.

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The school was ok this day too. Lauren and I went into a 5th grade class and had a harder time because the teacher led the interview so the kids didn't get to ask many questions you know they were SO curious about! So I'm going back next week to answer more questions because the time ended and we had more hands! So I'm excited about that :) I've been trying really hard to both give America justice for the awesome country it is but not idolize it and make it sound like it's PERFECT and full of celebrities and money. I try to relate it to places I've been to in SA so they can understand what it looks like.

Auntie Ashleigh and Uncle Dave tired after the school!
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Tuesday night was the chapel which I talked about and when I got sick.

Wednesday I laid low and hung out and slept.

Today I am in class for until 4:30. Tonight we're doing a ladies' worship night which I'm excited about :) Gotta love girl power! ;) Haha but it's funny because we only have 9 guys so it seems super exclusive. I don't think they mind though. I'm feeling a lot better physically so that's great too.

I can't WAIT to listen to Dad's sermon online... I've heard awesome feedback about it :) I love hearing Mom and Dad's voices on there! It makes me feel closer to home. I was able to use Skype to call Brookie on her phone yesterday while she was tanning by Mom and Dad's pool which was fun. She was so surprised to get that call! :)

Although I love and miss home like crazy I really see the need for me to be here for the remaining time. In some aspects I wish I could stay longer to make a larger impact. I can get so frustrated with the problems I see that I feel I could help fix but have to leave and not finish my work!

But through all of this I can see why God has dropped us into these situations and takes us out quickly. I think we have all learned SO much about time management, the realities of making positive changes and deep relationships, and how NEXT time when we enter into situations how we can initially approach them: asking tons of questions, getting informed, making good plans, but still totally going with the flow and praying a TON!!

So those are my random thoughts :)

The good & the bad

Hello! So these last few days have had some good and bad! As the bad is probably what you want to read first, we'll start there.

The bad: I got sick last night :( And I don't even know why! We had an awesome worship night (which is part of my "good") and then the last few songs I got realllly nauseous so I left, got ready for bed, laid down and got REALLY sick! And sadly at that moment hit the biggest thunderstorm since we have been here so everyone was outside running around and laughing! OK so that was probably stupid because they could have gotten hit by a lightning bolt but it was no fun being in bed! Then I threw up a bunch. My roommate slept in someone else's room so I could have it to myself. This morning I felt a lot better and the girls really took care of me :) Got me food and everything. :) So now I'm better and resting today. I bursted some blood vessels in my face under my eyes so that's a bummer. Looks like I have little red freckles all over!

The good: Last night we planned a chapel and it was AWESOME!! We had the lights out and candles lit and everyone brought blankets and pillows, etc. Alex played worship and the rest of us did worship and prayed with each other. It was a time for community and we had foot washing set up and did communion with each other. The point was that we have been pouring out ourselves SO much at our work sites and in the community we haven't had any time or energy to love and uplift each other. Laura Jane gave a message before we went into the room that was SO awesome! I've got to get the Bible verse that she spoke on. :) But it wasn't anything we did- seriously God met us in that place! So great!!!

OK there's more but I am going to eat. Hope you have had a great day :)
Paige

Weekend happenings

Hello!

So I have had an eventful weekend!! One of the campus pastors, Woody, and his family are here visiting/on vacation. On Friday some of us went to the Keg after dinner for dessert. I should take a picture of what we get because it's the same thing every time!! I get Death By Chocolate (surprised?) :) and almost everyone else gets Malva Pudding (which is a dense cake thats carmelled up and served with ice cream- a fav here). That night we turned in fairly early. Nothing too exciting... except for it being gay night at the Keg. That spiced things up. Ha!

Breathtaking!


Saturday we woke up early and headed out to see some cave paintings. Really the best part of the trip wasn't the cave paintings, although those were cool to see considering that's practically all my Art class was focused on! Our bus rides here are pretty awesome.. especially when you get a group together that clicks well! We had to take two busses (which really are kind of a 15 passenger van, not a bus) and I got on an awesome one. On the way there we all talked, then we all read, (currently reading "Time Travelers Wife" and so far, so good) then we all fell asleep! The ride there was about 2 hours. I thought before this trip that I couldn't read in a car but praise the LORD I can and not get car sick! So we arrive at this location which is near the Drakensburg mountains which are beyond beautiful and we got to hike there! And I'm really not Miss Nature but this was SO great! I ended up leading the way in the hike, with Alex behind me (apparently we are the only ones with big strides- Barbie you taught me well) and we trekked through beautiful valley up into a mountain to see some of the cave art! Pictures don't really do it justice but MAN aren't they beautiful?!? The clouds here are unlike anything I've ever seen! It looked as if we were walking into a painting...

Some of the rocks similar to what we saw the cave paintings on


Our rock art tour guide was so quirky- it was hilarious. Basically she has said that same speech a thousand times so it felt like we had pressed "Play". We had some good laughs.. then we hiked back but this time along the river instead of through the grass. It was an 8-4:30 day by the time we had gotten back. Fun fun :)


Beautiful Fall leaves:) First time I've seen something that isn't lush green here!


That night so many of us were itching to go out. We spend a lot of time here on campus and sometimes we just need to get AWAY! So we went to a place called Firken & Ferret to escape and went to MC DONALDS across the street! Oh my GOODNESS can I tell you how great it was to have fries and ketchup!?! Haha I sound like a fattie but really it was like home! And they have McFlurries here too! So we tried those. The size is exceptionally smaller but it's still good ol' McDonalds soft serve! And while we're on the topic of foods let me just list the foods I miss the MOST! Mom's spaghetti! Man it's good. Oh and her steak and baked potatoes. Barbie's baked goods and mashed potatoes. Mrs. Aaron's burgers with grilled onions and the works. Brooke's granola bars. Ha! Sorry Brooke, I couldn't resist. :)
Me and Megan Goeman in the Taxi Saturday night to go out!



Today I got to get some good sleep, woke up with a headache which kind of lingered today so that was a bummer, and honestly didn't have the best day. I suddenly got really frustrated with not having gotten RA and wondering what I should get involved in now that RA and a few other opportunities I would have wanted to pursue aren't available, feeling unhealthy with the food we are graciously served here (but still- it is not healthy!), REALLY missing home, and it being Sunday here but everyone at home is fast asleep! So I was pretty mellow all day. I listened to Ryan Brinson's sermon (called "Project 58" on arcadechurch.com) that Mom and Dad had recommended me to listen to and loved it. He read Isaiah 58 out of The Message and it came alive to me. I was really hit by the part that said "Stop gossiping about other people's sins". I never think I do until I hear it plain and simple like that and am convicted that yes, in fact I am totally guilty of that. But the rest of that chapter is so great in reminding us of how FAITHFUL the Lord is! And with true repentance and a real relationship with the Lord he will come alive to us! It was just what I needed to hear and God knew that! So I'm once again reminded that it really isn't all about what I "do" at APU next Fall. I need to realize where I'm at NOW! I am in Africa, serving, learning, having my patience tested, and I need to seek opportunities HERE AND NOW! I need to trust that God is working out the Fall for me and in the mean time, let it go. So that's my day today :) Oh! Jeremy and I got to Skype tonight for so long! It's like we had a REAL conversation!!! Much needed too. Loved it!!!!

Before I forget- After about Wednesday no one should send me packages here as we will be gone in 3 weeks. It's crazy to think as this has become a home away from home that we will be leaving. Especially because the walls are decorated, luggage location forgotten, and monkey sightings an every day occurrence! So weird to think I will actually be leaving!

The beautiful AE campus in which I live... for 3 more weeks!


This week's schedule:
Monday and Tuesday are I will be working at the school in the morning and the women's shelter in the afternoon.
Wednesday I will be going on the feeding scheme again into a township and helping prepare/serve food and hang out there.
Thursday we have our long community class.
Friday is the start of SAFARI!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Ok this is like the biggest deal of the semester and I PRAY no one gets super sick and we can all go! I've heard this is so much fun! I will be gone from Friday early to Sunday night and am SO excited! We camp out for 3 days and see animals and... yeah. I'm not sure what we do.. but I'm stoked! :)

Off to bed!
With love from South Africa,
Paige

Learning.

HELLO!
I've wanted to blog for a few days but haven't had time! Haha I actually don't have time now but I am making it. Aka less sleep! Oh well:)

Ok so this week we were in the community once again. The weather here has turned really gray and rainy so that has kind of added to the mood. Plus we have now four sicknesses: this stomach/diarrhea bug, a head cold, bronchitis and strep throat. So living in this kind of "commune" it's only a matter of time before they go around! Can't do much to avoid. Lately I've been feeing well so that's good. But every day we end up having a few people staying behind from going to service sites. :(

This week, although it was gloomy, was a great week at the sites! Monday, Tuesday and Thursday we work in Gateway Christian School in the morning, have lunch, then go to the women's shelter until 3. In the mornings I have worked half in the front office doing administrative work with my friend Lauren then we've both gone into different classrooms for the other half. I have been grading papers and then today I taught Art to a fourth grade class. Like, had them for an hour, gave the lesson prep and was in charge. Ha! Love this whole trust thing Africans have! Didn't do too shabby! In the afternoons we have hung out with the women and tried to (secretly) develop community and trust between us all. Most of them do not know each other so it's definitely a different type of community!

These are some of the things I'm learning lately:
- African women LOVE to sing, dance, draw, laugh, etc. They have such childlike spirits and enjoy to play and hang out.
- They do not play games that exclude people. If someone gets "out" in a game that person just leaves. It's all about community and inclusion.
- The women pass their children amongst each other and help take care of the babies. And you can always tell when the mom has their own baby because they kiss them over and over!!
- Kids aren't getting any discipline at home since most of them live with their grandparents or whoever so teachers act as parents in doing all of the discipline, life skills, etc.
- While grading papers for the 4th grade class I was surprised at what they were learning! It was all about living in a Village and the questions were "What do you do if the tap runs out of water? Go to the stream." "How do you purify water? Filter, bleach, boil." "What happens if you drink dirty water? You get diarrhea." etc. It's great that these kids are learning health and safety but it really is just so different from the states!
- I have been told that African people do not expect love in marriage and do not marry for love.
- Pedestrian crossing lines here are called "Zebra Hump Crossing" (or something to that effect) by the locals!
- Sometimes no matter how crazy I run at a monkey and how loud I run they STILL DON'T GO!
- Whenever I speak Zulu the people laugh SO HARD at me! I've been told it's out of enjoyment and they are so pleased I am trying. I still think they partially think I sound like a fool!
- I am awful at doing the clicks. And I know you're all going to ask me to do it when I get back! Oh boy.. I should start practicing now...
- What is poverty to America can be considered upper class here. And that's not to bash Africa... it's just to show that there is TRULY poverty here.
- My heart breaks for the kids who go all day without food who I work with day after day and have never complained ONCE.
- There are no after school sports since the kids have to catch their rides to get back to their homes (which are at least a half hour away). Usually someone buys a truck (called a "buckee" here) and takes kids to and from school... usually about 14 kids piled in who each pay a small fee. There is no public transportation. They have taxies but they are not safe or cheep.
- Although I mentioned maybe wanting to be a teacher... my Art class made me think twice today! It's HARD!!!
- I had the kids today draw their dreams and it is so encouraging to see their spirits lift when they would each tell me what their dream was. I had a ballerina, teacher, doctor, actress, one boy drew an elephant! ha, a swimmer, soccer player, rugby player.... these dreams can't be forgotten. I pray they're not forgotten.
- If every person in Africa were to get into a monogamous relationship and only have ever had sex with their spouse AIDS could be COMPLETELY gone in two generations.
- It doesn't matter how much you miss someone- it doesn't change when you see them next!
- Taking too much iron isn't good for your body. Oops!
- When you read that thing about AIDS did you think about praying for a miracle? I don't. But I should. Think how AWESOME and POWERFUL God is!!! I wonder if we had more faith what could happen...
- No matter how much I talk to God throughout the day, going without reading the Bible drains me.
- I struggle with pride.
- I LOVE planning out my life and the fact that the Online Class Schedule for Fall '09 is up makes me SO HAPPY! Had my schedule down day one!!
- I have pictures that should be uploaded but now I definitely don't have time for that!
- If my mom were here she would be so frustrated that I haven't done my homework yet... that's due in 20 minutes! OH no!!!! More blogging later.. oops!! (Don't worry, Mom, it's not too much homework....)

With my love from South Africa,
Paige

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SISTER!!!!!

Since I was a baby my sister has taken care of me. She is beyond thoughtful and so sensitive to the things that are important to me. As a baby she would always pick me up and spin me around until I screamed and my mom made her put me down. We played Barbies together, giggled at night until we got in trouble, were SO giddy on Christmas mornings together (and even are now still!), wouldn’t let Mom and Dad go to bed and do skits for them and keep them awake together, advocated for each other’s rights…


I remember so many occasions where she was so thoughtful towards me! When I was little I was TERRIFED of dogs and I would climb her whenever I saw one and she would always protect me. In junior high and high school when posters and balloons were the coolest thing to get on your birthday she would come early and put them EVERYWHERE and I always had the most of anyone! Then in high school when Valentines Day was slightly depressing I would get a wonderful display of balloons and flowers :) When I was going through some hard times last year she would send me CDs to listen to and encouraging things to make me happy. Even here in Africa she sends me videos of Evie because she knows how much I love them!


I have always looked up to her. I used to sneak into her room and read her journals to know exactly what she thought of the latest boy. To my dismay she would write in code names. I would take a paper that she wrote on and copy the handwriting because it was PERFECT in my eyes! You may have noticed that since today we have the same handwriting… and we both color code things in the same way!! I take her advice. I have always wanted to name my kids any name that she picked out. And her opinion is held in the highest esteem.


And the reason I look up to her, take her advice and practically live a carbon copy of her life is because I really do admire her SO much! She is a lot more independent than I am, as many oldest siblings are. She has paved the way in choosing schools, playing sports and doing cheer, getting married, having kids, and the list goes on. She is HILARIOUS! We are always laughing when we are together and most of the time no one else knows what is going on. (Poor Josh!) She is a leader and a planner. She is more efficient than I’ll ever be. She has a genuine relationship with the Lord. She loves and takes care of Evie (and soon Chet!) in the most sacrificial way. She has always put me first and to that I am entirely grateful. She always encourages me to stick with goals and dreams I have. She uplifts me and pushes me to be a better person.


I could go on and on… but that’s a snipit of my wonderful sister! Brookie, I love you! Happy birthday!!! :) Wish I could be with you! First time in 20 year we are apart for this event! Let’s not make that happen again! :)

Weekend

Hello!
So much happens in a day here.. It's hard to catch up on multiple days!!

I am doing really well. I no longer am sick (yey!) and am feeling energized. Thursday was another day at our service sites. We visited the grade school and figured out what we'll be doing there. I will be working with the PE class, as a teacher's aid, and in the front office. SO fun!

I have been contemplating teaching as a job and am looking forward to this experience a lot! Talked with a friend Sean who came with four other guys that are APU grads to visit the center (they're all currently living in SA) and he said that in CA you can do student teaching for a year while taking a credential class and be a qualified teacher after (if you have already gotten your BA). So I wonder about that. I am still really interested in pursuing wedding planning too. Or maybe working with a non-profit. Ha! So basically I have no idea. If you have any revelations let me know :) I am feeling so good about not knowing though- oddly. I am such a planner but at some point either I'm going to stress about it or just go with the flow! Currently I'm going with the flow :)

What else is new... Friday we had our long class. So that's not new. That night we went to a commissioning service for a group through AE called Foxfire. It was super long. Like a graduation. And because we didn't know the people it was pretty long... but after a few hours it was over! That night Jeremy and I got to talk for the first time in a long time!! Ah it was SO good! We actually had a good connection with the internet and had some time to to chat. I was sad though because it got late here and so I had to go :( But still it was SO nice to connect with him!!! As you can imagine it's hard being away!

This Saturday was probably my favorite day since we've been here! We went to uShaka which is a marine world/water park. And it wasn't even necessarily the "most fun park EVER!" but I just truly enjoyed my whole day! The groups I was with were SO fun and we just got to be like kids all day! It poured rain mid day but we were wet so we didn't care! Just a fun fun time :)

As you can tell- I have no pictures. I haven't wanted the people we're working with to feel like we're observing them or that we are trying to show off our cameras so I haven't brought them to the sites. Also, I have forgotten to bring it when we go out!!! Lame!

Oh and last night a big group went out dancing but some of us went to the Keg and then watched Italian Job on the big screen. Oh, I realized I say we go to the Keg ALL the time- because we DO! It is the closest place, has semi-mexican food, and awesome desserts. I also realized that constantly saying "I went to the Keg" makes me sound like a drunk. On the contrary: I am not. No worries there folks.

Today I took a lazy day. Yes, maybe should have gone to church. But Sundays are the only day I can sleep so I usually take advantage of that. (Don't try this at home)

So I slept in, journaled, listened to Mom and Dad's sermon podcasts (shout out for arcadechurch.com!), went to lunch, went on a mall run (which as I said before also has grocery stores, movie theaters, restaurants, stores, etc.). Four of us sat at the South African Starbucks, "Mug & Bean", and talked and had smoothies and then Alex and I joined a group going to "New in Town"....

Worst movie! OK, well I went to "He's just not that into you" and THAT was the worst movie! But this one was second. It was just stupid. I was looking forward to watching a cute, predictable, romantic comedy. And I don't even really like Renee Zellweger so I didn't have high hopes but it bombed. Luckily Alex and I made fun of it the whole time so we got our $2 worth. :) Some girls who went enjoyed it but I really don't know how! Oh well. We had a great time afterwards laughing at it! :)

And that's my weekend! This week we have service sites Monday-Thursday, Woody (our campus pastor) comes in on Tuesday with his family so that will be FUN! We're going hiking to see some cave art on Saturday. No plans Sunday. And that's my week!

Oh also exciting: I'm OVER HALF WAY DONE! Yup- this is the Wednesday of the week. The downhill stretch. :) So that's exciting! 7 1/2 weeks to go :) (I know last time I said 7 weeks. I was wrong. At the point it was 8).

Ok, off to dinner! I know I'm talking in tangents. Lo siento!

With love from Africa,
Paige

Community Work: Day 2

Just got back from my community engagement work with Project Gateway. Today we went into a township (which is basically a very rural community) and helped with a feeding scheme there.

The lovely woman who runs this feeding scheme is Mama Gertrude. She is 79 and got a vision to feed the poor. She used to make huge amounts of gritz and stew out of her home until she needed a bigger spot. So she now uses her church in the township to feed families. She used to do it all alone, lugging the huge pots and bags of food and water to feed the people. Praise the Lord now she has help! But even so, she is the most hard working woman I've seen. I never saw her sit from 9-3. Her husband is madly in love with her. He is 80 and was working hard in the fields all day. I can't wait to show you guys a picture of the two of them... she is plump and curvy and he is thin and lean. He was telling us about her and her vision and how he hates how people say that the woman stands behind the man because he will stand along side her and follow the vision the Lord has given HER when she walked in the room.. he started singing a hymn, "In a Land Where We'll Never Grow Old."


The room went silent and we all just sat there with tears in our eyes! To be that old and still so in love... our hearts melted. She bashfully turned away and got his lunch and brought it to the table for him. He was standing with us, quoting scripture and telling us of the love of Jesus she was standing in the other room waiting a good ten minutes for him to come. Honestly I have never seen a more beautiful depiction of love. He cherishes her more than anything in the world and she serves him with delight. :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v6eAdTejOvs (If you want to hear the song)

In addition to that heartwarming moment we had a great day! Our challenge given to us before we went was "Go to BE not DO. We hare human BEINGS and you need to stop occupying yourself with things to do and sit and talk and build relationships." When we got to the church we started cutting and peeling potatoes, carrots and onions for the stew and chatted with our translator from Project Gateway. Then we had time to just sit with the women and BE. About 12:30 the women and their children started showing up. We played with the kids with toys and chalk we had brought and talked with the moms a little. We only really know greetings in Zulu but you can tell they appreciate our efforts as they laugh at us in delight (or so we hope!) :) The food had already been prepared but we all still sat for about an hour until about 20 women with children and a few men had come with their bowls/containers/bags. Mama Gertrude led us in a time of singing and prayer. Before coming to SA we learned a Zulu song which was we all sung as a group along with another we did not know. She had Dave (a guy in my group) pray and she continued with a talk (in Zulu of course) and more prayer. Then we dished up!

We later learned that the portion that would look like the typical Thanksgiving plate would be taken home and divided for 2-5 people for that day's food. One boy comes and gets that portion for him and his grandma which lasts them 2 days. This is ONE PLATE OF FOOD! I was amazed. Mama Gertrude says she is trying to add on Friday meals as well as Monday and Tuesday. She also teaches a sewing class to the women on Thursdays and does home visits. She is beyond admirable... a life dedicated to service and what the Lord has called her to. This is SO much work for her in her old age but I don't think she's ever even thought about that! Just pressing on, doing work for the Lord.

That was that! I have had my share of CUTE and CHUBBY babies this week and can not wait to hold even more! Held a 2 month old baby yesterday :) Forgot what those wobbly heads and squirming arms and legs looked like! Made my heart melt! Can't wait for my little nephew Chet to get here so I can love on him too!!!

That's all my news :) As you can tell: wonderful day. But it didn't start out like that. We are all exhausted. Sick. I think I am getting bronchitis. There is a bug going around. But we started our day in prayer. Asking God for energy and spiritual renewal and MAN did he deliver! I honestly didn't even think about being so exhausted until we sat down after our work. God is so faithful.

With love from Africa,
Paige

Class, Zipline, RA & Community Work!

Lots of updates for a few days! Seems like that's how it always is here. We do so much in a day!

First, I am happy to say I have been reading a lot here! So far: The Shack, parts of The Bible (gotta throw that in so you all still think I'm Christian ;)), Redeeming Love (for the 2nd time), and now I am starting on The Time Traveler's Wife. Now that I'm done with classes I will have more time for reading. Such a luxury, really. I never seem to have the time to read!

Friday, Saturday and Monday I had my loooong classes. I'm not going to lie: it was pretty frustrating to have to sit through so many hours of lecture when it was so hard to understand our awesome professor. He's seriously the NICEST guy! But class is over and now we have that class (Which is "Principles of Community Engagement") on Fridays. So Fridays will be long days too. But now WE can contribute to the discussion with the work we are doing in our sites and the experience we're getting so hopefully that helps!



On Sunday I slept about... 13 hours. Dog tired. I don't think I've slept more than 6 or 7 since I've been here so I was so shocked when I woke up at noon! I had TOTALLY forgotten about our Canopy Tour (aka zipline adventure!) and was about to sleep through the day until dinner when my roommate Amanda asked me if I was going! So I got ready and headed out for that surprise! It was GREAT! Definitely felt a little language barrier as they explained the instructions for each segment of the trip and didn't fully understand or we would ask for clarification and they would say something that, to us, sounded different. These guys were totally qualified, just hard to get across what exactly they meant! But we had a great time. Honestly the most breathtaking views. I couldn't describe it in words! In our group was me, Shauna, Grant, Adam (aka "Papa"), our awesome driver Phillip and his 10 year old son Musa. We had a great time :)


Yesterday was the big day for the 11 of us here who applied for RA (that's 1/3 of the group!) waited for the results. With the time change we had to wait until after dinner for even the possibility of finding out... but about 11 o'clock we knew it was getting close. Everyone at school had already found out, the staff meeting we heard the ResLife Coordinators were in should have been over and our emails were GOING TO BE SENT! A girl found out from a friend back home that we would be finding out within that hour. Anticipation built...

...and the internet died. Left. Peaced. Spaced. Ran away. Hid.

As you can imagine we were all really bummed. FINALLY we find out (fyi I had interviewed Dec 1st so it's been a WHILE!) and now we have to wait an indefinite amount of time. So we all hung on to the hope of it coming on. I honestly don't think anyone slept the whole night. I had woken up so many times I ended up having to fall asleep with my laptop on my bed at about 4am just to have some peace of mind in knowing the internet was STILL down. The story is a little bit more dramatic than that- but I'll let you fill in the details.

So we all had to go to our service sites today not knowing if we did or did not get the position. Which made me frustrated until I remembered MY service site is a business! Thus: COMPUTERS! I didn't check right away but when my friend Lauren and I got a chance we went on alone and both found out we got alternate. She was super bummed because for her this is her 2nd time being put on alternate. I had reallllllly prepared for not getting it so I wasn't as bummed. But still, it's no fun not getting the job you applied for!

Overall though I am SO EXCITED for how God can use me in different ways next semester! RA is an obvious opportunity to be in leadership but there are SO many things on campus and positions I can apply for, ministry teams I can be on, etc. It will be fun to see what new things/relationships God wants me to develop instead. And there is the chance that I may get chosen for the position if someone turns down their spot, but I'm not leaning on that. And I honestly feel SUCH a peace! So I am STOKED for my grrreat friends: Elli Cramer who gets to be with freshmen in Trinity, Becca Magnuson (my old roomie!) who gets to be with freshmen in Engstrom, Laura Jane who is also in Engstrom, Jess Lucia who will be in the Mods, and the list goes on...

So that's my week thus far! Oh gosh I forgot the biggest thing....

Today we started community work! And can I tell you my experience couldn't have been better. Project Gateway knows what they're doing. They're organized, efficient, loving, and everything a type A person would love! :) We got a more detailed tour and can I tell you this place is AMAZING! So it used to be a prison until 1989 and up until then it housed some of the most prominent Freedom Fighters (those who fought against segregation/apartheid and rights for ALL) including Gandhi and his wife! All the documents were destroyed as to who was housed there, what happened specifically, but it is amazing to see pictures and walk on the same path that such inspirational people did. I went into Cell Block 3 where Gandhi was supposedly held overnight. I saw a gallow, two torture rooms... and now ALL of this is used for GOD'S GLORY! What was once a place of evil has been turned into a place where God is glorified!

Project Gateway has a ton of things it does, so instead of going into all of those I'll just tell you what I get to be a part of: an escape house for women in refuge, hiding from husbands or boyfriends, and bringing their children. (I got to hold BABIES!:):):)) Feeding Scheme which I will do every Wednesday. Going into a township and working with a church to provide food for the community. A Christian grade school for underprivileged children. Different tasks around to help with maintenance. We are given a lot of freedom in leading the women and setting up projects, activities, community building stuff, etc. for them. All to say I had a wonderful day and was so happily surprised as to how the day went!!

That's all.
Missing home & Jeremy! I know I don't mention that much because I don't want to dwell on it too much. Tomorrow it will be SEVEN weeks! So close.

With love from Africa,
Paige

Braided Paige

Hello blog people!

Yesterday morning I had my Art final which went GREAT! Positive I got an A in that class. Annnd I got a 98% on my 12 page paper so if I do well on the final I will have an A in that class too :) I was on little sleep yesterday so I was pretty tired all day. Buuut the reason I was on little sleep was because Jeremy and I got to talk for a while so it was SO WORTH IT! :) Yesterday after my Art final a group of us went to Durban to the beach. My friend Megan and I got our hair braided by some women from Congo and Zimbabwe living in SA because of the wars in their home countries. It was by far one of the most interesting experiences here being in a complete rural setting. Because my hair is soft and they didn't have ties (because black women don't need hair ties when they get their hair braided!) some of mine came loose but hopefully I'll get some ties soon so I can keep them in.

RIght now I'm sitting in a 2 day lecture on Community Engagement. Yes- 2 days. But our speaker is so passionate it's entertaining. They flew him in from Kenya for a month to teach us. We are very lucky to have him- as he speaks all over Africa. He will be coming to our service sites with us to help us along. Some thing shave been hard for me to appreciate here. Places we go, sites we see, speakers we hear. But I am trying to be open minded as much as I can.

That's about it for now! Not much going on. I'm pretty tired today. Sad it's a beautiful day and we're indoors! We don't get many sunny days here. It's been a surprisingly rainy season.

With love from Africa,
Paige


_______

3 hours later. OK I'm not pretending anymore. This is a 9 hour class. NINE HOURS! And tomorrow- 9 more hours. And Monday... you can guess it! Oh my goodness we are all going insane. Halucinaitons about monkeys coming in and declaring war on us. Literally having a petition going around the room if you would fight against the monkeys and you have to sign with your war name. And it's not our speaker's fault... he was given a 9 hour slot on one of our only sunny days.

Ok, that's my rant. Kinda going crazy. Wish the internet worked properly in my spot!!!!

Blessed:)

Hello!
So, I just wanted to share a little about my week and how life is going :) Monday was Mom's birthday. I felt like I celebrated it for 3 days with this time change! I think I blogged about Monday already. Tuesday (yesterday) was a great, relaxing day. The sun was out for most of the day. I have been SO blessed this week to have gotten a few good times to talk with Jeremy already instead of a few times total in a week! Although the internet connection here is not so good and things can get super frustrating, it's better than nothing and we recognize. Today I was able to spend some time talking with Brooke and Evie before her nap, Grandma Dean who just got Skype! (yey!!) and listen to Dad's sermon (on arcadechurch.com) of Truth Part 1. Makes me feel like I'm literally not on the other side of the world!

Before all of this communication I had today I started off the day by waking up to 1) geese at 6am, 2) a girl shouting at monkeys to GO AWAY at about 6:30 and 3) my roomie's alarm. Oh to live in a community... in Africa. Went to breakfast, was spoiled by a hot meal (even though I only eat cereal, we are so blessed to have every meal prepared for us!), talked with Jeremy, went to tea time and celebrated a girl's birthday with Apple Pie, got ready for the day, lunch, (as you can see we eat a lot here...), drove like 3 hours to the Drakensburg Boy's Choir which was GREAT! (Mom, you would have loved it!), drove 3 hours back, late dinner, talking to people, now studying for an Art final in the morning.

Tomorrow I have my final from 8:30-10:30am. Durban & beach from 11-5p ish, dinner at the "revolving restaurant" or some name like that which I guess is pretty well known here and I'm exxxcited about that! Then I may stay to go to this performance night which as spoken word and lots of other poetry/singing things but if that's the case I get back realllly late so I may not go. Then back to bed!

Friday and Saturday from 9am-4pm we have a community class in preparation for next week's start of our community projects! I got the place I wanted to go to most: Project Gateway. It is a business that has many different outreaches. It's main goal is to put people in the community back on their feet by giving them skills so that they can start a business and provide for themselves. They have a women's shelter/counceling center for women which I can work with a little. I guess the women love to bake so we can go over there, play with their BABIES! (YEY!) and just build relationships. Most of these women have been raped and are pregnant or have just had babies and have no where to go. I hope I can spend time there. There's also a fashion school on campus where some women who get in can learn everything fashion from basic sewing so they can start their own business. There is a grade school where the government has just approved us to be able to help out with. Then there are odd jobs like painting and gardening and maintenance that will need to be done. There are 6 of us going and I love the group and am excited to go :) We will be there about 4 days (Monday - Thursday) for 5 weeks (with a few exceptions). We start on Tuesday the 10th.

And that's my life! I'm sure there will be another 3 albums by the end of the week as usual on Facebook so keep checking! I have so many new pictures all the time! :)

With love from South Africa,
Paige

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!!!

Happy Birthday to Mom!!!

I think you all should know how wonderful my mother is :) She is the most patient, the most loving, the softest, the funniest, and the warmest person around. Together with Dad they lead a godly household. She has more self-control than I could ever imagine having. She is thoughtful in her words and actions. She will always be optimistic. She’ll tell you the thing that needs to be said but is not intrusive. If I had to describe her with one image it would be sitting at the kitchen table with her bible and tea in the morning in her pink or blue robe. She is devoted to pursuing the Lord. She is firm in her faith. She can French braid like no other :) She is HILARIOUS and tells a great story. She is devoted to my Daddy. She knows how to make people feel comfortable… even a congregation of people. She is brilliant. And would never tell you that. She would seriously win Jeopardy! She is an encourager. She is a teacher. She will always take time to discuss things with me. She has always respected my opinion. She is dependable. She has lists of people she is praying for on post-its around wherever she sits most. She is always memorizing a verse. She loves roses and trees that have pink & purple flowers. She loves fall and will gasp and the beauty of the trees at sunset. She loves Rollos, Carmelos, and Hot Tamales. She refuses to drink “diet” anything... except for Snapple Peach Ice Tea. She gave me her sense of direction. She claims to not be a huge dog fan but we all know she likes Sadie. When she laughs her hardest she goes silent. She got kicked out of the my doctor's office once ;) She is so sacrificial. The best example around. And I am thankful if I can be a woman and mom just like her :)

Those were the awkward years...

My high school graduation

At Newport Beach while dropping me off for Sophomore year

Summer at the capitol


LOVE YOU MOMMY!

9 1/2 weeks left in SA!

This week had been buuusy busy! I have finished my classes for this portion of the trip and only have one final left this week and will be home free until the end when a few more classes/finals are!! Such a great relief. 5 weeks of freedom while we do our community engagement work. I will know by the end of the week which site I will work at and will tell you all :)
Highlights of this last week:
Friday morning I spoke in chapel on Joshua 3&4 when Joshua just got into leadership when Moses died and was instructed by the Lord to lead the people through the Jordan River as Moses had done with the Red Sea. The main point of my talk was that God had them pick up 12 stones from the middle of the Jordan and place them in their camp as a remembrance of what God had done for them and for all the people of the EARTH to know and respect the Lord! It was so awesome that this included US! in all the people of the earth! So we all went outside because it was a gorgeous day and we had worship and communion set up. On the communion table there were stones and I had given people the challenge of taking some time of devotion to LISTEN to what the Lord has to say to you and to listen for a word from the Lord. Whether this word was “faith” or “healing” or “missions”… whatever God wants to put on your heart. And that stone, just as it was for the Israelites, can be OUR stone of remembrance of how awesome God is and used as a testimony to people of how God is working in your life! So that’s that :) Went well.
Friday after chapel we went to a preschool, Bonginkosi, and did some manual labor for the new preschool. Dad, you would have been proud ☺ Then afterwards when we got back to the campus and went to the watering hole and hung out and washed off.
Friday night we went out to the Keg & Hedgehog for about the 15th time lol.. and us 6 girls has a fun time :)
Saturday morning from 5:45am-7pm we were on a Battlefields of South Africa “adventure”. I read almost all of Twilight… about 400pages. (We had a lot of time on the bus!) I was surprisingly entertained but I’m not going to pretend it was a worthwhile day. Then a surprise birthday party for my suitemate Lydia. Then talking to Jeremy for a bit. Then sleep.
Sunday I was finally able to get sleep. Relax. Breath. Got an amazing 1 hour massage for $30, including tip! I will have to get more because she was concerned about my back. Poor me :) Went for a run. (which I guess you’re not supposed to do after a massage… oops!) The whole group went to an Indian restaurant and we had such a fun time! I had never had Indian food and LOVED it!! Interesting sitting in a melting pot of cultures. I had never eaten around a Muslim woman and it was an experience seeing their server get out a big screen that looked like a chalkboard so that she could take off her veil to eat and people, besides her husband, wouldn’t see her face. And it was so great to see that family having SO much fun. Their five kids laughing the whole time. Takes away the stereotype of rigid people. They are just like us. Such a learning time.
And that’s all!
This week is a mix of studying for Art, going to the Drakensburg Boys’ Choir concert, having a 2-day “Community Engagement” lecture on Fri & Sat before we start Community work next Tuesday and obviously doing much more in between that! Keep emailing, commenting, and keeping me informed with your lives. I love to feel connected!

With love from Africa,
Paige