Dead friend, four eyes, TC, babies, and Rep.

I had an interesting experience, if you can call it that.

I made a new friend outside of Hands from White River named Latitia. She's a physiotherapist at a nearby hospital.
I went to church a couple Sundays ago. They did announcements. They announced the death of a man named Louie who lives on a farm up the road, a lady named Anne, and then he said, "Do you remember Latitia, the physiotherapist? She drowned in a canoeing accident on Thursday." I instantly exploded into tears and couldn't think of anything else for the rest of the service. After it was finished, I texted one of her friends, Mark, expressing my condolences and letting him know I'm here if he needs anything. He texts back and says he has heard nothing about Latitia and wonders what happened. I called him and told him. It was the saddest and hardest conversations I've ever had. About a half hour later he texts back and says Latitia's fine and that another girl had passed, but not Latitia. I didn't know how to feel or react in that moment. I couldn't produce words. I was so confused. I called Vivienne, since she is actively involved in the church, and asked her to look into the situation and call the guy who made the announcement. I wasn't sure if Latitia was in an accident and it was someone else who had died and the church mixed it up or if it was someone else. Well, it turns out another woman from White River died in a canoeing accident with the exact same name and the exact same profession. Latitia called me later on that day. It was great to hear from her. I hung out with her last week to celebrate her aliveness and we're continuing that celebration tonight, as she is coming over for supper.

On a different note, my eyes have been feeling strange for the last couple months. They feel like there's a lot of pressure behind them. Vivienne told me a story of a boy who had the same thing and ended up with a tumour. So, I acted out in urgency and got an eye appointment. Apparently I'm getting glasses, just for reading and computer. I can still read the bottom row and have excellent vision, but I guess it'll help my headaches.

I saw Tony Campolo speak this past weekend in Pretoria at Missions Fest and he is the bomb-diggity. I thought he would just confirm and encourage my philosophies on Social Justice and he did do that but he deeply challenged me in other areas I refused to dig into. So that was good.

This next week I'm hosting a missions team from the UK who will be helping out the community of Belfast. It's actually has the potential to be quite stressful for a number of reasons. The main reason being the fact that they have invested money into the community and not a lot of it has gotten done, which is largely due to the fact that Africa likes to take its sweet time doing things and everything really has to be done in the right way (community-owned and initiated). They arrive tonight and I have to do orientation with them, discussing what's culturally appropriate and discussing what they'll be doing while they're here. Funny that I've never been on a mission trip before this Africa experience and now I'm orientating teams. Strange.

I'm going to be a Gogo. I won't go too far into that, but yes, my baby's having a baby.

This new role can be quite stressful at times, but I'm actually enjoying the challenge. I'm not teaching at all anymore. I was doing the after school program, but now Lacey has taken control of that AND we're getting a woman, Ncobile, from the community involved. We're hoping she'll eventually take over the program. It has to be that way, community-owned. She's a beautiful woman and so very excited to do this. Her husband is a teacher, too, so that really helps. I'm going to be doing some teacher training with her to build in her skills to be effective. I'm mostly just administering the programs though (after school and university). You know, transferring funds, constructing budgets, and balancing the accounts. What my primary job now is acting as the country rep for South Africa. Each country we work in has a rep who supports and coordinates the activities and projects that happen in the country: Pastor's trainings, home-based care trainings, building multi-care centres, gardens, communicating with donors, arranging international teams, food security, health, .... blah blah blah. I don't actually do the work on the ground; that job is for the people in the community. I don't even actually make up the budgets or proposals or track projects; that job is for Simon. It's a complicated structure that I can't explain right now, so I guess the point is, I'm definitely in a different line of work. But it's challenging (extremely challenging) and exciting! My strongest spiritual gifts are leadership and administration, so I guess this fits perfectly.

I hope to update often. I realized I'm awful and since there are some of you who are living out your Africa dreams through me (Katie) I'll have to keep you happy.

Love you all.

7 people, 6 hours, 1 fridge, 1 bakkie, and a partridge in a pear tree

On Monday I felt like a mother. I was saying good-bye to my children on the first day of school. The day started at 6:00 am. I'll spare you the details of the classic disorganized African start. Two hours later, Jayme, Elvis, Fortunate, Gugu, Stanford, Regina, me, a fridge, and the students' belongings loaded into the single cab bakkie and headed off to begin a journey I'm sure no one would ever think is possible. I'm not talking about the six hours of cramped and crammed travel but rather the fact that 4 Masoyi orphans were beginning University.

It's been four days and I still want to cry.

Incredibly resilient people with a strength I could never understand. People who have gone to ridiculous measures just to survive. People who have had to endure a grief far beyond anything I could understand. People who are destined to fail. People ignored, overlooked, left-behind, pushed to the side.

These are the ones that said "I'm going to make it." These are the ones that held onto a promise from God and a promise to themselves that they will bring change to those with the same story.

This is God's style.

Before I came to Africa, all I wanted to do was change the world. Many people told me I was going to change the world. But that's not God's style.

These are the beautiful faces of the ones who are going to change the world:

A First of Firsts

Today marks a special day. A day of all days! The day I've been waiting for, if you will.

Today, I saw my first Black Mamba.

I've talked a lot about this creature that is also known as The Shadow of Death, but to remind you of it's incredible talents to KILL, here are a list of facts:

- It is the largest venomous snake in Africa, growing between 2 and 4.5 meters long
- They are one of the fastest snakes in the world and can travel up to 20 km/h
- It can lift 2/3 of it's body off the ground and usually attacks the head and neck
- They are one of few snakes with the ability to strike up to 12 times in a row
- Their venom is so strong, a single bite can inject enough venom to kill between 15-35 grown men.
- Without immediate anti-venom, death has been known to occur in 30 to 180 minutes.

This blog is, of course, to encourage you all that I am well and the dangers in South Africa are minimal and nothing to fear.

Psalm 143

All I can seem to read these days is Psalm 143. This is not because within this chapter is Hands' 2009 Watchword, but because within this chapter lies my heart. I feel like these words are my own words and these cries are my own cries.


O LORD, hear my prayer,
listen to my cry for mercy;
in your faithfulness and righteousness
come to my relief.

Do not bring your servant into judgment,
for no one living is righteous before you.

The enemy pursues me,
he crushes me to the ground;
he makes me dwell in darkness
like those long dead.

So my spirit grows faint within me;
my heart within me is dismayed.

I remember the days of long ago;
I meditate on all your works
and consider what your hands have done.

I spread out my hands to you;
my soul thirsts for you like a parched land.
Selah

Answer me quickly, O LORD;
my spirit fails.
Do not hide your face from me
or I will be like those who go down to the pit.

Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love,
for I have put my trust in you.
Show me the way I should go,
for to you I lift up my soul.

Rescue me from my enemies, O LORD,
for I hide myself in you.

Teach me to do your will,
for you are my God;
may your good Spirit
lead me on level ground.

For your name's sake, O LORD, preserve my life;
in your righteousness, bring me out of trouble.

In your unfailing love, silence my enemies;
destroy all my foes,
for I am your servant.

Welcome back.

I'm back in South Africa and so far it's been great. The plane ride was perfect. I honestly slept the entire time and if I struggled with sleep, a glass of wine helped that.

As soon as I turned my phone on when the plane stopped, I was greeted by two texts: a "please call" from Elvis and one from Fortunate asking if I had sent away her residence application. Welcome home, Kristal.

There was so much work to do at the start of this year with Elvis, Fortunate, and Gugu going to University; Patricia and Nokuzola going to Zigna; and Mduduzi getting into Agriculture College. I am SO glad to have people like Brooke and Jed taking it on until I got home. But now I'm home and there is lots of work to do. And as much stress comes with finding funding and sorting details, it all seems worth it when I get a text from Mduduzi saying, "Hi make kristal. I ope u hv a gr8dy. so i m good, i wat 2 inform u that class wil start on monday. anyway i m excited 2 study.Gudnyte."
Make = mother in siSwati.

This year I'll be playing a role supporting Busi as South Africa country rep. We went out to Bushbuckridge a couple days ago with Simon. There are many CBOs in the area and we will be starting a Service Center there to help support the CBOs. Simon will be at the Service Center so we went with him to check up on the CBOs.

A CBO is a Community-based organization. I guess it's like Masoyi but much simpler. Masoyi has many programs and is quite large. These other CBOs are very small and really only have a Home-based Care and some have Care Centers for the children.

It was a good day. Not only did I see the beautiful faces of the care workers and children, but I saw a turtle, a chameleon, and a dung beetle! Dung beetles are quite fascinating. Simon said in their culture they don't call anyone clever because nothing is as clever as a dung beetle.

Today I'm off to visit the students and am SO excited. It's been too long.

Remember, Arrive Alive.

Corazon

I've been in Canada for 25 days. WOW - 25 days. How is that even possible? I spent two weeks doing the Christmas thing with my family. I also spent some time during then visiting family in Fort Pitt and family in Goodsoil. I spent the next week in Saskatoon and now I'm currently partying in Calgary. The three weeks prior to this time were COLD and am enjoying the chinook Calgary has to offer.

It's been great visiting friends and relatives but as much as I wanted to really tell all my stories, I found it only possible to connect with a few people.

"How was Africa?"

"Good."

"That's good."

And then onto Nickelback and the deteriorating economy.

The one thing I found unbelievable during my time home is my lack of participation in snow-related activities. A couple days ago I realized I did not snowboard, sled, skate, make a snowball, a snow angel, a snow fort... NOTHING. I think the main reason for this is the freezing cold weather I've been blessed with since I've been home. But today I and the chinook changed that. My friend Brett and I (along with JL who assisted our noses with her disgusting scent) created a snow-woman. We built her head on his steps and then created a body laying along the steps. She's quite hot. She has witch-like stringy hair, delicious bubble gum lips, dark Oreo eyes that make me feel hungry, and a polka-dot bikini. She has chiseled abs like a Greek God and a lack of breasts because she's a body builder. We think she lost her arm in a shark attack because she now has a limp noodle arm. Her name is Corazon, which is Spanish for "heart". Brett and I both took Spanish classes so we try to do the language thing once in a while. Anyway, she's beautiful and we're trying to set her up with Tyler, who only seems to be attracted to white girls. Well, she's as white as can be.

I'll try to post a picture later.



**Blog inspired by Brooke**



PS - Hi Jon.

Gugu

Meet Gugu.



Gugu Sibanda is 22 years old, and lives with her three sisters, two brothers, a niece, a friend, and the friend's daughter in her parents’ home. Her father died in 2003 and her mother in early 2006. Gugu finished high school in 2005 and began work as a hairdresser to help the family during her mother’s illness. She is a lead singer in her church choir and taught Better Choices in the Masoyi Youth Program for a number of years.

Gugu just got accepted into the University of Limpopo to study Social Work. This is her heart:

I want to be a social worker to encourage change in my community. I want to help all those in need: Orphans, vulnerable children, and abused women and children. I have seen that many people are suffering in my country. I want to take care of the orphans and register them for grants. I want to make sure that their grants are used for their needs, and not for anyone else’s. When people come to me for help, I want to be able to help them and to advise them to get tested for HIV/AIDS, because HIV/AIDS kills too many people in our community. There are many orphans and street kids because of this killer disease.
As a social worker I can get into schools to advise the youth about HIV/AIDS. I know that they will listen to me when I talk to them- and if two or three can take my advice and get tested for HIV/AIDS, that would be worth it.
In Masoyi many people, especially the youth, need to understand that HIV/AIDS is real. There are still youth who do not believe that it is a reality. I want to bring awareness and truth around HIV/AIDS. Some youth believe that you can only get HIV/AIDS from having many partners; they do not know that even if you have one partner you are at risk of getting HIV/AIDS. The youth trust people who are not faithful to them. They just listen to people when they tell them they love them, especially the girls. This causes the spread of HIV/AIDS more and more. Other girls use their bodies to get money to buy alcohol at the bottle store, or they go there and get drunk and sleep with anyone.
I knew one girl who slept with four boys in one night. I asked her why she did that and she said because she was drunk. I as a person who cares about other people, told that girl that it is better to leave alcohol and do something that can keep her busy, like go to church choir practise on Saturday, or join any organization
Many people believe lies about HIV/AIDS, and they try to convince others. I want to educate people, so they know the truth about HIV/AIDS.