On the Other Side

I don’t know when my senses have been so alert. 

We pulled out of the Link’s parking lot where our car has been stored for the past week, while we waited to get insurance on it. It’s not required to have insurance on your car in South Africa, oddly enough. Just the same, the way driving goes here, we waited the week before finally taking the car home. 

We swing into the right turn lane. No problem. Everything’s still going as planned...meaning we’re still alive and in a functioning vehicle. Just act natural, Meredith. It’s perfectly normal to be sitting on the left-hand side of the vehicle and not have a steering wheel in front of you. Look; everyone’s doing it. 

We approach our turn at the light and wait for the friendly little green arrow indicating that it’s our turn. But I have experience at this light. Todd and I have been passengers for a couple of weeks by this point, and this particular right turn is no joke. The reason being is that driving in Africa is more of an art than a science. 

When the coast appears to be clear and light still says we can go for it, Todd lurches out into the intersection and once again I’m swinging headlong into the left lane. We made it! Our first major turn together. We may live to tell this story yet. 

We are obviously not the only ones on the road in the city of Pretoria. We have plenty of company. The vehicles that strike the most fear in my heart are the taxis. I do not call them taxi cabs, because there is nothing cab-like about them. They are large, white vans with a yellow stripe down the middle on each side. They roam all over the roadways, seeking whom they may devour, and generally doing as they please. You can hear them honking for no particular reason, turning in a non-turning lane, and running red lights. Again, driving is not a science here. You see taxis everywhere, sometimes parked along the side of the road (or maybe not) as their victims board to be flown to their next destination. 

You also know you’re not alone by simply glancing down the sidewalks, or the side of the road, whatever’s handy. I know I’ve been appointed co-pilot when Todd says to me, “You’ll have to help me watch for pedestrians.” That may be the first time I’ve been asked to monitor for the presence of a person or persons in our path, but the place is buzzing with them. I’m worried one will jump out in front of us; it’s a good thing those brakes are sensitive. 

I catch myself sucking in air through my teeth and trying to brake by bracing myself against the dash; I think my mom experienced similar symptoms when I was learning to drive, actually...it’s probably not helping Todd’s confidence any, but I just haven’t learned to take it in silence yet. 

It’s always nice to be turning off the roads and into the driveway or parking lot. But its especially nice to return to the driveway or parking lot later and find the car still there waiting for us. Car theft is a major industry here, so It’s never a guarantee that it won’t be stolen.

But really, so far, so good. God’s kept us safe and helped Todd relearn to drive with very few difficulties. So what if the gear shift is on the other side now? At least the clutch hasn’t changed feet. 

Here it is...our 2006 Citroen. We were so blessed. God provided this car for us almost as soon as we started looking, and at a really great price! 

And no, it doesn't have a name. 

It's Always Africa

I might be among the few who have moved to Africa to experience city life. It isn’t the first continent that comes to my mind when I think of fast-paced and multi-cultural, but there’s no reason why it shouldn’t. I think most westerners have a warped image in mind when they hear “Africa”: giant reptiles, thatched roofs, women carrying enormous loads on their heads...if that is your view of Africa at large, then it will not surprise you to learn that I have seen all three of these things in the population-three-million-city of Pretoria. Granted, the reptile was only “giant” compared to others of its kind I’ve seen in the states, and it was domesticated, but I can check all three typical African sights off my list. 

I wish I could describe to you the integration of traditional Africa in the urban setting I’m living in. You think you’re in a completely modern world, driving down a four-lane highway, and then all of a sudden you’re staring at a shanty township, rows and rows of dilapidated shelters with metal roofs secured by rocks at the corners. It’s the stark, in-your-face reminders like this that jerk me back to the fact that Africa is very much...well...African. 

Since arriving I’ve realized I’m accustomed to being treated a certain way and having things meet my American standards, especially when it comes to service. I felt like a quote for auto insurance should have taken about 20 minutes, not nearly two business days. And take a look at this; it’s our bank.

And we thought bankers had it good in the states. Ha! 

While a few things done the “African way” are vastly different than the states, it hasn’t yet come down to a matter of right and wrong. I find myself saying “T.I.A.” a lot (this is Africa, for those wondering...and I didn’t make it up). But, I don’t always have to say it because something frustrating is happening; there are a number of times I could say it and mean quite the opposite. 

For instance, today Todd and I had to get petrol. No one pumps their own petrol here; you just pull in and are directed by an attendant who then pumps the gas for you and cleans your windshield while you sit in the car. You tip them R5 (something like...65 cents, maybe?), and are on your way. T.I.A.!

This weekend we went out to one of the biggest if not THE biggest mall I’ve ever been in. We saw a movie at the theater there, and you actually get to select your seat at the kiosk where you purchase your tickets. Here’s Todd demonstrating:

The theater was really nice, big and clean, and the tickets were certainly reasonably priced. T.I.A.!

After our movie, we stopped at an ice cream shop (Todd loves ice cream), and as I strolled nonchalantly over to the counter, the man mentioned that they had some sorbet flavors as well. I tried to keep from showing any excitement. I can’t do ice cream, but I do enjoy sorbet, when I can find it. I tasted the mango sorbet and my mouth started fanfaring. It was among the most delicious substances I’ve ever tasted...amazing! I savored every single bite of my one-scoop serving (I was trying not to be a fatty). It was like they’d just pureed a mango and frozen it. I love mango, so I would probably have been thrilled with less exciting results, but this knocked it out of the park. I deem that mall among my favorites. T.I.A.!!!

I could go on...I never thought I’d have a cute car, but God gave us one. It was well within the car fund we’d had to raise before coming. I’ve said on multiple occasions, “isn’t that a cute car?” Todd always answers in the affirmative, but I don’t know that he ever really wanted to be driving a “cute car.” (I’ll have to put up a picture some time...I don’t have one yet.) T.I.A.!!!

Then there’s the apartment. That will be at least one full post in itself later, but let me just give you a teaser...it’s incredible. T.I.A.!!!

We have lots to be thankful for, as always, and lots to continue learning about South Africa. I’m sure I’ll have to keep praying for an attitude adjustment at times, and maybe try to learn to enjoy the “laid back” lifestyle and culture that abounds, even in what appears to be a busy, modern, fast-paced city. Don’t let it fool you, though; you know its secret. T.I.A.  :)  

Comma much?

Kiss me, I’m—once again—a working woman. It’s been almost a year since I’ve been behind a desk for hours every day, and I’m afraid I’m out of practice. Part of my problem is that I’m still hanging on to the 8-5 mentality. In all jobs I’ve had previously, one works for a pre-determined number of hours, in approved apparel, taking the breaks as described in the manual, interview, or training period, etc. You arrive “on time”, work as long as you’re told, and any deviation from what you’re “supposed” to be doing is highly discouraged, if not prohibited. 

That sounds like most jobs I know of, anyway. So you can imagine how difficult I’m finding it to adapt to an environment that doesn’t work that way. Todd and I have joined the communications department with OM Africa, which makes us part of the creative team. He will eventually be the webmaster, but I have already become a writer and editor. I can hardly believe it...this is the kind of job I would have dreamed of! But in addition to doing the kind of work I think I can do well, I’m also given a lot of freedom to do it as I like. That is, I can wear jeans and t-shirts everyday, if I want. I can get to work when I want, or work from home, or on the roof of our office building! (That’s probably my favorite thing about the office, the incredible roof!) There really isn’t an hourly expectation in my group as my boss says: “we’re more project based than time based.” That is music to my ears. For the first time since I started working at 16, I’m not responsible for answering a phone, or assisting people who walk through the door, or finding things to do to keep myself busy. 

Did you realize there were jobs like this? Honestly, I think most people could do what they liked if they were willing to do it for free. Ok, so that’s a big sacrifice, but I don’t technically do it “for free”...we have a whole team of very generous people supporting us in our work. If you’re reading this, thank you for your kindness to Todd and me (yes, that’s “me”, not “I” in this instance)! We are so thankful that God called you to send us to Africa. 

So, I spend part of my days editing articles about the missionaries and ministries all over the Africa Area (the countries my office oversees), working on a writing project that I hope to share with you later, and taking some time to brush up on my grammar. My company e-mail signature says “Writer/Editor”; my e-mails only have to be completely perfect now, no pressure. It might not have been a mandatory to proofread them before, but by signing “Editor” to my name I’m kind of obligated. I enjoy grammar, though, and look forward to my little “continuing education” lessons each day. I’ve actually been listening to Grammar Girl, and really enjoying it. If English is your thing, check her out here. 

The time I spend thinking about grammatical correctness is beneficial for my editorial career, naturally. But the other day I caught myself noticing that my face wash needed to fix its claim of “smooth soft clear skin.”  Once you get in the zone it’s hard to turn your brain off. There’s also a popular South African phrase that started to really grate on my linguistic nerve. It’s common for people to respond to you with “is it?” regardless of what you’ve just said. There are times, of course, when it’s completely appropriate. “The car is out of petrol (gas).” “Is it?” Perfect. No problem, carry on. It’s when you say something like, “I need to stop at the store” and the other person says, “is it?” “Tomorrow I leave for vacation.” “Is it?” I couldn’t make sense of it, or think of an American equivalent. 

Then it struck me that the phrase could be a shortened version of something else. What if the phrase was really “is it true?” That would make grammatical sense. “The dog ate all of our cookies.” “Is it true?” “I’m ready to leave.” “Is it true?” See? It works. 

On the topic of language, let me just tell you how impressed I am with the Afrikaans people. They are brilliant. I’ve never heard of a culture who is almost universally bilingual. Really, almost all of the white people in Pretoria are Afrikaans (as opposed to English), and nearly all the ones I’ve met can switch back and forth between languages seamlessly. I’ve never seen anything like it. I feel like I should put forth a big effort to learn their language too, since they’ve so obviously done their share of the work learning mine. While I’ve heard that it’s harder for some, I can’t help but feel that the overwhelming majority are first-rate English speakers. Well done, you guys!

His purpose will stand

Dear Kimberly,

Turn with me, if you will, to Isaiah 55:9-11. Wait wait wait. I sound like a pastor. Not that that’s a bad thing, it’s just that a pastor’s job is to preach and mine is to...think visibly (aka, write stuff). So scratch that. But not all of it. I really do want to look at those verses, but rather than requiring you to B.Y.O.B (bring your own bible) to this little chat, I’ll give you the verses here:

“As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. 

As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: it will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it” (NIV). 

I’m pretty sure you’ve heard the part about the word not returning empty (or “void” as we usually say), but how familiar are you with the rest of the passage? I heard the “not return void” part recently at a retreat I attended and realized I had no idea where that verse was in the bible. Was it there at all? Did it really mean what it sounded like it meant? I didn’t know any of the surrounding verses...how could I be sure it was even being used correctly?

After Todd did a word search on his iPod, I read the verse in Isaiah. Isaiah. No wonder I had no idea where it was...my OT familiarity is rough. But as I read, I was struck at how wonderful a passage it really is (no surprise, of course. I mean, it is the bible, after all). It says a lot more about God than the one little phrase “will not return void” lets on. Just look at it. 

• It proves the superiority of God over his creation: “My ways are higher than your ways.”
• It proves God knows vastly more than his creation: “My thoughts [are higher] than your thoughts.”
• It proves that his purposes stand: “...it will not return to me void but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.”

I do kind of want to focus on the last part, because it is from this section that people usually quote. God’s purpose will be accomplished; the thing he desires will be achieved. That is a very comforting thought, and it reflects that God is an incredibly powerful God. No matter what he has determined, it will happen. It must. He is God and he has complete control over all things. Over ALL things. Think about that. It makes verses like this make complete sense:

“I form the light and create darkness. I bring prosperity and create disaster; I, the Lord, do all these things” (Is. 45:7, NIV). 

So what is the purpose of God’s word here? He speaks, and we are prospered. He speaks, and we find ourselves in the middle of unimaginable disaster. I use “speak” here figuratively, of course, but the point is that what God has determined for our lives, that he will do. It may look like a blessing, or it may look at a cataclysmic downward spiral. Either way, his purpose will be achieved in our lives. It’s in times like these that the Christian can cling very closely to Romans 8:28. He does work all things out for the good of those who love him, the ones he has called according to his purpose (there’s that word again...). 

I want to give you another verse to think about in regards to this. Look at what Paul says in 1 Corinthians (or “one Corinthians,” as the people here would usually say):

“For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God” (v18, NIV). 

If you keep reading in the book (especially the next two chapters, in my opinion) you will see how the Christian is given such an incredible understanding of God’s word, but it is not something he has on his own. The purpose of God’s word to the believer is power. Christians have such amazing power through the word of God, illuminated and taught to us by the Holy Spirit. It’s really quite remarkable. Praise the Lord, he causes us to grow in this power!

But the word of God serves a dual purpose, according to this verse. It not only serves as power for the believer, but it serves as foolishness for the unbeliever. Please, stop right now and go read 2 Corinthians three and four...it’s more than I want to quote here but it’s relevant to this topic. Unbelievers are blinded, the gospel is veiled. They cannot see it until God opens their eyes. His word is to them foolishness, and this is what he intended. His purpose is always achieved. 

Ok, I’ll stop for now. God has a really massive character, so let’s not bite off more than we can chew. Think about this. Think about him. As you do, I pray that God will give you the Spirit of revelation and wisdom, so that you may know him better (Eph. 1: 17b)

Love, 

Meredith

Culture101

I have been an unofficial South African resident for approximately 65 days now, I think. If my math is correct. I hope most people who know me well know to stop trusting me when I start  delving into the world of numbers, but I’m fairly sure that this is an accurate calculation. 

While we have been living here for over two months, most of that time was spent on the training base. It’s a nice enough place, but very secluded and highly multicultural. It was interesting and fun to be around people from all over the world, but it doesn’t contribute much towards a South African acclimation. 

Now that we’re out in the wide world (and I do mean wide world...I’ve never been a big city girl before), we can finally start learning about our new home! It’s an adventure we’re chomping at the bit to begin, and really have sort of begun. Here are some things I’ve learned about South Africa:

• “Just now” is a term you hear frequently, but it doesn’t mean what you think. The first time I heard it, we’d only been on the base for a few days. One of the other trainees said that she’d see us at dinner “just now.” It sounds straight forward, but we were walking to the dining hall and she was going the other direction. I was thoroughly confused. Upon further exposure to the phrase, I have deduced (and been informed) that “just now” simply means that whatever someone plans to do will get done eventually. It in no way indicates that it will be done immediately. Go figure. 
• Braai (pronounced bry): the term used to describe a South African barbecue, but not with an American- looking grill. The ones I’ve seen have usually been stone with iron grates, and your choice of charcoal or wood (perhaps wood is more common?) is lit beneath the grate. Some of the smaller ones resemble a traditional grill a bit. South Africans are HUGE carnivores...I mean these guys really love their meat. Sausages, chops, steak, it’s all available. I’m more of a chicken-and-fish kinda gal, but I can get into some red meat when I have to :) 
• ZA: South Africa. 
• The Afrikaans tend to be, on average, a bit taller than Americans. This is just my personal observation, mind you, and it’s definitely a generalization. It probably has something to do with their Dutch decent, as the Dutch are among the tallest people in the world (another generalization, but my information comes from a Dutch lady). While we’re on the topic, Todd is of Dutch decent as well (a good example that not all Dutch are towering giants :) ), and a couple of people have picked it out based on our last name. 
• The Afrikaans language has a lot of English similarities (or Engles, as it is in Afrikaans...see, I’m learning!), and Todd and I are trying to pick up a bit. Pretoria has a large Afrikaans population, and on more than one occasion we’ve been approached by someone who proceeded to speak to us in that language. But no worries; they switch seamlessly to English when you respond to them. We haven’t noticed any kind of prejudiced, or hesitancy to use English when needed. 
• Rooibus tea has become a favorite of mine. Rooibus is a plant only harvested in a particular region of South Africa, so I’m told. 
• Related to the tea, there is a delightful little snack that South Africans love to enjoy with their tea and coffee; it’s called a rusk. It’s like a chunky biscotti, for lack of a better description, and it comes in many varieties. I didn’t think I’d like them at first, but now it’s one of my favorite things to eat for breakfast, a rusk dipped in rooibus tea! (I actually don’t advise trying to eat one without dipping it first). It makes me feel like I’m really embracing the culture ;) 
• Todd and I are trying to put forth an effort to adopt some of the English lingo we’ve heard over the past few months: cookies are “biscuits,” fries have *sometimes* become “chips,” and dessert can be referred to as “pudding,” regardless of what it is. It’s hard to be consistent, but we’re trying! 

I don’t want to overwhelm anyone (including myself) with culture...but I am actually kind of excited about learning everything! These are the easy things, of course; we won’t get into currency conversion (there’s an app for that...so much better than the rough estimation we were using!), learning to drive on the other side of the road (be looking for that story “just now” ;) ), and dealing with heatless homes. 

But God has taken good care of us. I confess, I got really stressed out yesterday...we started looking at accommodation online, and most of it didn’t look very promising. I’ve got a brighter perspective this morning, though, and am just praying for him to provide what we need when we need it. He always has before. I think we’ll have many stories of his miraculous provision to share with you all! 

Here's an example of a braai...this is at the MDT base. 

And this doesn't have anything to do with anything; it's just a picture of us at a park we visited a few weeks ago. Carry on. :) 

Lesotho Mission Trip

Lesotho: a tiny country completely surrounded by South Africa where the mountains are incredible and the peaches abundant. As part of our missions discipleship training, Todd and I spent a total of 13 days in two different locations within Lesotho for a rural outreach. We were on a team of 9 MDTrainees: 3 South Africans, 3 Americans, 2 Chinese, and one Australian. 

We arrived in Leribe on Wednesday night, but our journey from Pretoria started just after 4 am. I took some motion sickness medicine before we left and was completely out of it for most of the day. Big mistake, plan to never do it again, if I can help it. Bleh. On the up side, I slept a lot on the drive. 

We stayed at Joy to the World ministries Wednesday night, and then all the teams headed out to their respective locations Thursday morning. We were blessed enough to be stationed in Hameletsani, a little village right at the foot of some of the most beautiful mountains I’ve ever seen, and I’m from east Tennessee. They really were beyond description. I tried not to get used to their majesty, and even did my quiet time outside most mornings, despite it sometimes being rather cold. It’s so interesting that God would plant such gorgeous scenery in a corner of the world that the vast majority will never ever see, or even hear about...

I was totally prepared to sleep in a tent outside and freeze nearly to death. I was so ready to take it like the man I am most definitely not, turn off the complaint mechanism, and deal with it. If I sound negative, here’s why: I don’t like camping. I think air mattresses are super uncomfortable and I hate walking in the dark, outside, with the wild animals, to go to the bathroom, something MiniBladder me will inevitably have to do. 

So you can imagine my surprise when Todd and I got to pitch our tent inside the church building with the rest of our team. The other two guys pitched a tent inside as well. The girls slept without one, but it worked out. The nine of us, plus our two translators, were snug as bugs in our little cement and cinderblock fortress. 

Which brings me to the next point: I mentioned my position on air mattresses, but I’m about to retract. I didn’t have an air mattress on this trip, only a thin foam pad. If you can call it a pad...”pad” seems to indicate a degree of cushioning, and I don’t want you to get the wrong idea. I had no cushioning. I laid that “pad” down, a blanket down, and another micro “pad” down on the cement, got inside my sleeping bad, and proceeded to literally bruise my hip. Seriously, I think I saw some discoloration. And it wasn’t just me; Todd found it super uncomfortable, as did almost everyone else on the team who didn’t have a proper mattress. I am thankful that most nights I was so tried, I fell right to sleep. But every single night was interrupted by at least one grueling trip to the local “long-drop,” which, as you can guess, is the outhouse. Needless to say, I would have gladly accepted an air mattress.

I must say, besides sleeping on a rock and walking in the dark to the bathroom, the rural-ness was much less intense than I’d expected. We had a running shower (cold water of course, lest you think we were living large) every day except the last 4 (when we ran out of water), cooked over a gas burner, only occasionally needing to build a fire, and enjoyed very warm to hot weather most days. It didn’t rain much at all (hence our water crises), and we were located on a peach orchard with all the peaches we could eat! This, roughin’ it? Yeah, I don’t think so. Towards the end of our trip we were bathing in a river and having to get creative with our rations, but I was pleased to prove to myself that I could live simply, and I loved the walking we had to do! We were in a valley so it was almost always a steep uphill climb to get anywhere we wanted to go, except down to the river. I was thankful for the hiking shoes mom bought me before we left the states *hi mom*

Ministry wise, we did a variety of things. The very first morning we climbed up to the village from our camp and “smeared” one of the mud huts. Actually, “mud” hut is kind of misleading...the components that went into our smearing mixture were mud, water, and cow poop. After it was mixed, we “smeared” it onto the interior wall of one of the rondavels. It smelled gross and felt gross, even through my thin rubber gloves. Todd opted to smear gloveless. Gloveless. What a man. We did other practical work as well, like learning to make Besotho (the name of the Lesotho culture) food, and cleaning for a very sick lady. 

We also did children’s programs at two schools, hosted a youth event at the camp, and led/assisted with the Sunday service for the two Sundays we were there. Todd preached for our first service and did a fabulous job, if I say so myself. 

The church was attached to a pre-school, so Monday-Friday morning there were lots of little kids running around. They were cute, and some of the team really enjoyed playing with them. After school hours, the camp often had lots of older children who came to play with the soccer balls (they didn’t actually play soccer with them) and with the visitors :) 

I have struggled the past couple of years with the idea of short-term missions. In my mind, proper evangelism goes beyond a few minutes or even a few days with people. It often takes time to evangelize, to explain to people who God is, how depraved we are, who Jesus is, and what his death accomplished. To do this accurately is vital, obviously. Often short term trips just focus on numbers, getting people to pray prayers. This was not my goal, so I had to figure what was. 

Todd and I both felt like we were there to support the work of the missionary family who is stationed in Hameletsani long-term. They are the ones who live there among the people, who regularly run the church, who are building relationships and trust and doing life with the Besotho. If we could help reinforce the basis of their lifestyle and increase their presence in the area, we were succeeding. 

I also found a method of door-to-door that I fully support. We spoke to one old lady who sat outside peeling peaches (a common sight). I prayed for her, and then we gave her a copy of the gospel of John in Sesotho (the Lesotho language). What a comprehensive way of spreading the truth! If the Lord will cause her to read it, and open her eyes to the truth within, she will know who God is and what he requires of her...belief in his Son! (see John 6). 

I was the appointed team photographer, but the images here were captured by both Todd and myself, with the one of the two of us taken by a teammate. Enjoy!

Besotho girls doing a traditional dance in traditional skirts. 

Todd preaching via his translator, Joyce. 

The team :) 

The teacher and children from the preschool attached to the church.

Peaches!

At one of the schools we visited, many of the Grade 1 students had pencils tied on a string around their neck. 

School uniforms.

Two of our teammates led a group of students in "Making Melodies," a song that involves gestures, each verse building until you look completely ridiculous, as seen here :) The kids love it!

The kids seemed to really find Issi's skin and hair to be quite fascinating.

More peaches! 

Todd got a little artistic...

Posing in front of the beautiful mountains!

Here the group is mixing up our "smearing" concoction. I didn't get in on that action...I mean, somebody had to take pictures, right?

Todd getting artsy again, this time with the incredible night sky. I loved stepping out in the evening to see the stars!

Todd and Hennie cooking over the fire. 

My favorite dried fruit experience: eating completely natural, hand cut, line dried peaches. Yum!

Long-drops :) 

More melody making :) 

I'll let you fill in the blank. 

Todd did some really great panoramas of our little valley...not to shabby, eh?