Moving In

My Jesus Calling Devotional for Sunday, September 22 couldn't have been more perfectly timed as it was the day before moving in with host families and the thoughts of starting my job and getting involved with a new church loomed ahead:
"Trust Me and refuse to worry, for I am your Strength and Song. You are feeling wobbly this morning, looking at difficult times looming ahead, measuring them against your own strength. However, they are not today's tasks--or even tomorrow's. So leave them in the future and come home to the present, where you will find Me waiting for you. Since I am your Strength, I can empower you to handle each task as it comes. Because I am your Song, I can give you Joy as you work alongside Me..."
This was a good reminder for me to hold on to God and trust in Him (I also would recommend reading September 10's as well - if you don't have a Jesus Calling and would like to read that one let me know and I will type it out for you).
It has officially been one week in my new home for the year. My host parents, Mark and Pricilla Padayachee, have graciously opened up their home for the third year in a row for Radical Journey participants. They have already shown such wonderful hospitality for me - and Lydia as she is here until later this week when she receives her own family - and God has blessed me with a second set of godly parents.
Unfortunately, this week has not been perfect as my first bouts of homesickness have set in. This is starting to feel like home but it has been hard as we have been having a lot of free time to think. Also, while the curries and bryannis, samosas and tea, and the bunny chow have been superb (aside from the two fish dishes I have eaten since I don't like sea food), I miss my mom's cooking and all the junk food that I had access to at work :) It's going to take some getting used to have ing curries every day instead of casseroles, garden picked veggies, and baked goods but I can't complain since it is delicious and some have a bit of spice to them which I love. A perfectly timed letter from my cousin Adrienne reminded me of my verse for the year and that the homesick feelings shouldn't ruin my year; "Do not fear for I am with you" Isaiah 41:10.
Aside from the mass amounts of reading I have done this week, I have had a couple more driving sessions - one was even downtown and I'm proud to say that I did not kill Andrew (he told his wife he loved her just in case). I only stalled once on the road - and it was on a flat road too! Unfortunately, I did lose a fair amount of points, and Andrew gained, in our ongoing Dutch Blitz tournament, so I'm not sure where I stand - I may be down to last place now. I also did my first (and hopefully last) burnout today while pulling into the grocery store parking lot! It was a tad scary.
Living with the Padayachees has taught me to slow down a bit as the evenings are normally spent sitting in the living room talking and drinking tea. It was nice talking to their fifteen year old son, Justin, for a couple hours about random things. I am even learning to get over my slight fear of birds as Justin has his own bird business of buying and selling birds of all different kinds. While most stay in the garage, a new one that he just bought - some kind of ring neck - has made its home in the living room. I am learning to appreciate it except for the two times when Justin has let it out of his cage and it has gotten dangerously close to me for my liking.
Yesterday's church service was my first at New Anointings and it was a special service as it was celebrating the Feast of the Tabernacles. I enjoyed the service as we waved palm branches, passed out fruit, lit candles, sang songs - some of which I knew - and afterwards had a potluck. It was an enjoyable first church service at my new home church and I look forward to getting to know the church members and getting to know what I believe and strengthening my relationship with God as I worship Him in some ways that may be foreign or sometimes uncomfortable for me.
Earlier this week, Andrew drove me and Lydia up to Mpophomeni for my "job interview." Since I already have the job, it was far less stressful and I enjoyed the couple hours we spent at Masibumbane. I got warmly greeted and introduced to the staff, and they to me, received flowers (that I am trying to remember to water) and a card, as well as tea and muffins. I do not know yet the extent of my work at Masibumbane but I am excited nonetheless. Their mission statement is as follows: "Masibumbane HIV/AIDS Mission aims to provide sustainable physical, emotional and spiritual care for people with HIV/AIDS and to empower AIDS-affected families and AIDS orphans to be as self-reliant as possible." They have several programs and I look forward to learning more about them, the staff, and the clients, as well as learning Zulu! I start tomorrow (Tuesday) and will be working every Tuesday through Friday for the reminder of the year - aside from holidays.
Sorry this is getting long but one last thought: Yesterday I was reading chapter six in David Platt's Radical and it was about material possessions and money. One of the key stories Platt used was the story of the rich young ruler in Mark 10. This is a story that has always troubled me, maybe because I can identify with the man, and I have struggled with the meaning behind it. I am still trying to find my place in the plan God has for me here and how I can spread His light here. I tend to find it easier to be a better witness through actions rather than words since I do not have a charismatic outgoing personality (although I am finding that I am already being stretched in those ways as I have been meeting so many new people) and I think part of the action I need to take is to give more freely and generously to the people here. I am receiving a monthly stipend that far exceeds the amount I need to live, seeing as the necessities are covered. I have been so blessed that I don't understand the faith required to trust God with everything. I need to in a sense "sell everything I have" and not leave with my head down because I care too much about this earthly fading life. I have come to realize that this lesson isn't just about money and possessions, but about giving everything we have and possess: our love, generosity, compassion, patience, time, etc so that we are required to lean on God and His grace and His fulfilling peace that only comes from trusting Him and giving all we have to His people. While I still do not know what God's plans have in store for me, I am going to try to forget myself, my worries, my fears, and my own interests so I can give generously and joyously all that I have, materially and within me, to make an impact on the people I come in contact with this year.

This is Africa

After a long day of traveling - flight one Chicago to Atlanta, running through the airport because our plane landed when our connection started boarding and we didn't want to miss our 15 hour flight from Atlanta to Johannesburg, an approximate four hour layover filled with confusion and frustration at almost having to pay extra for some baggage, panic at the realization my visa was filled out wrong, a final flight from Johannesburg to Durban lasting an hour, and finally, after gathering our luggage, an hour drive from Durban to Pietermartizburg to our contact Andrew and Karen Suderman's house - I have arrived in South Africa and can honestly say it is amazing.

I can see why people say it's hard not to fall in love with this beautiful country. I have been here only approximately two weeks but I love it already. In-country orientation is coming to an end and I look forward to these coming months living in my host family, whom I will meet and move in with on Monday, and working at my service placement. I just found out today that I will be working in Mphopomeni township at Masibumbane, an organization working with people infected and affected by HIV/AIDS. I am extremely excited about this opportunity so serve these people and in return be impacted by them and what they will bring to my life.

These past two weeks have been filled with a lot of learning about this beautiful country and the history which has made it what it is. Some highlights include visiting the apartheid museum, the Henry Peterson Museum/Memorial, and the Voortrekker Monument (as well as seeing a zebra, eating delicious food, and playing a lot of Dutch Blitz, Hearts, and Dominion). These different museums have shown me both sides to the unpleasant history of apartheid and how it tore this country apart and left it struggling to heal. My quick overview in school did nothing to prepare me for the amount of pain and violence this country has struggled with. Racism is no small issue here and my upbringing of pacifism and loving everyone is something that I am trying to figure out how to implement in my daily life so that I can be a positive influence in the peoples' lives that I touch daily. 

I can honestly say that I have already started to change and am be affected by what I have already been in contact with. I am starting to want to think more about how I can change the world and how I can make a difference even in the issues that seem impossible to mend. I am excited to see how God will continue to work in my life and my teammates as we are about to move into the next chapter of our journeys.

South Africa Here I Come!

It's hard to believe that tomorrow I leave for South Africa. It all happened so fast and it seems so unreal that in two days I will be at my new home for the next ten months. Crazy!

The past ten days I have been at orientation in Chicago with my team, Team Paraguay, and Team Argentina. It flew by and has been a week filled with learning about our personalities, faith streams, racial issues, white privelage, hospitality, and much more. While we had many sessions, a lot of the times that I will carry with me through out these next couple months are the many times spent playing cards: you know you're with a bunch of Mennonites when all your free time is spent playing Scum, Rook, and Spoons. The other night this week during an intense thunder storm, two brothers took refuge in the house we are staying, one in his mid twenties the other four. The older brother, Levi, could not believe that this is how eight teenagers fresh out of high school spent their Friday night - playing cards for hours on end. He didn't seem to mind too much and joined in on Spoons and suggested Go Fish. They ended up spending around three hours with us before leaving us. It was an awesome experience filled with many laughs at his disbelief at the way we lived.

This past week was an awesome experience bonding with the other seven team members. While we had some awkward moments, we are a family now and get along so well. We make fun of each other (I seem to often be the one being made fun of because of my "accent"), we had some theological discussions, and many laughs. I'm certainly going to miss the five not at my location and can't wait to see them in ten months at reorientation.

I can't wait for this journey to begin and I'm anxious to see what God has in store for me. Contiue praying as I worry about adjusting and settling in to host family and job these next couple weeks. The verse that I picked out for this year is Isaiah 41:10, "Do not fear for I am with you;" so far it has proven to be a great comfort for me and I have peace as I begin this next chapter of my journey.