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
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
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
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
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
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
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
Friday, March 6, 2009
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!!!!
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
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
Monday, March 2, 2009
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!
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
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
