Goeie Dag!

Goeie Dag! Meaning good day in Afrikaans...

Sorry i haven't been a faithful blogger lately! Just been tied up with african life. SO exciting news...in 26 days this group of hooligans will be gracing South Africa with their presence! 

wooohooo im excited for them to get here! They will get to see what life is like here in good ole Kommetjie, South Africa. As well as getting to meet all the people i've grown to love here. 

so yes. family shout out! 

Anyways ohh so much has been going on here within the last few days. I've been going on more HIV/TB outreaches so I have been able to create relationships with the 4 people I go with. Claudine, Eric, Anele and Siyatakazela haha and yeah don't even ask me how to pronounce that...i just say siya. Anyways those 4 have been a lot of fun working with. The other afternoon I was hanging out in their container with them before kids club and Eric mentioned that I am going to work with them permanently and not let me do kids club anymore. I just laughed and said that'll be the day. It's worked out quite nice being with them some mornings and being back in time for kids club. I mentioned in my last post that I got a love letter from one of the guys i met on an outreach and I told Eric and Siya about it and they just lost it. Eric told me I must give him the email right now so he can email this man and tell him to stop 'emailing his wife' haha..he thought he was really funny. But needless to say it was nice hearing he would do that if need be. They've seemed to have taken me under their wing. Jennifer came over to their container to see what we were up to and got Anele to help teach her some Afrikaans words and Xhosa words. Xhosa is impossible to learn!!! It's one of the hardest ones...it's that clicking language. Anele has been trying to teach me but I just tell him that I cant physically say a word while clicking at the same time. But who knows...never say never right! 

OH. fantastic story. 

[one of the many reasons I LOVE working with these guys]

So one day we were out at an outreach and Eric was asking about where I was from and what not. Anele asked the typical 'do you wear boots and those hats' questions. Well Eric piped up and said how much is a plane ticket to America? I told him then converted it to Rands for him. He then asked how many tanks of petrol he could get with all that money. I told him I had no idea but i'm sure quite alot. He then proceeded to tell me that he would save that money for a ticket and just spend it on gas so he could drive to see me in America. I just looked at him confused not knowing where he was going with that statement and just said you can't drive there, unless you put your car on a big boat. He thought otherwise. So I pull out my phone and show him this exact picture.  

I show him where Texas is and where we are right now and he looked at it. I then pointed out the Atlantic Ocean and said it separated the two places so the only way you can get across is by a boat. Now this is when I almost fell over I was laughing so hard…He pointed to the equator and said well there’s a long bridge there so that’s what I’ll take! I just looked at him and tried to hold in my laughter when I said Eric! that is the equator! Everyone started laughing including him and he just looked at the picture again. Ohh it was great and I haven't let him live that down just yet. Everyday is something new but always leave me in a fantastic mood. 

So club has been going good! This last week we were teaching the Parable of the Sower. It's the one about the seeds being scattered and some fell onto rocks and others into thorns and yeah. Well Jennifer was the story teller and I illustrated for her. We make quite the team if I say so! 

This last week at club I was sitting outside waiting for all the kids to get there and I saw these two girls leaning against our container eating something. I went up to them and asked what they were chewing on and this is what it was.

That yall are some chicken feet. 

 I just thought it was funny because I am quite certain that is what my mom thinks she's going to have to eat when she gets here. She mentioned at one point she's going to be sure to bring a bunch of crackers in case she doesn't like the food. 

Well we have been here for almost 3 months!! Crazy how time here just flies by. Well a few nights ago we played pool for the FIRST time since we've arrived. I then realized how much I love playing and have played everyday since. Tammy came over the other night and we just ate dinner, played pool, and listened to music for a few hours. I told Eric I was playing alot and I don't think he's too thrilled...he doesn't want me to come back and be much better than him :] haha 

Saving the best for last. I know I've said there are baboons all over the place here...well now we don't have to go anywhere to see them, they come to us. 

About two weeks ago we came home to see Katrin all flustered. After asking why we hear that just before we arrived there were about 20 baboons in and around our house. That is when they got in our fridge and ate all my kiwis and apples. Well since then the baboons have invaded Kommetjie. They are EVERYWHERE. That bottom picture is actually outside of our room. Today when we were driving home from church one ran out in front of us. We looked off to where it came from and there were easily 15-20 baboons just hanging out on a playground. Now we are having to be very cautious that we don't leave any doors or windows open. Which isn't much of a problem now because it's starting to get cold here. But yesterday even I was sitting on my bed and I saw something move outside our door and I looked up and 2 baboons were just sitting there looking in. I got up and tapped on the window a few times and they didn't budge. 

Not a sight you'd see everyday back home. Funny how seeing baboons is just a normal thing here...some days it's weird when you don't see any. 

Well there ya have it, my life in a condensed version. :D

Miss all yall back home and hope nothing but the best. Hope each one of yall is doing fantastic and living everyday to the fullest and ending each day thanking the big man upstairs for the things he's blessed you with. In the midst of your busy day don't forget to listen to God because he is always telling you something.

"The spaces left undefined by technology and the fields where industry has yet to obscure - that is where God has the room to speak and heal and dance..."

In Africa, His people never dance alone.