A Change in Track

It has not been an easy decision, but I have decided not to continue on with the Track in the new year. My heart has not changed and I know that I will still be working with issues of injustice at home. I don't know exactly what the near future will look like, but I trust that God will continue to lead and direct my steps. I will still have a time of sharing on December 21 and I hope that you will attend if you are able. Obviously the holiday won't be quite as jammed pack as originally thought and I do look forward to sitting down and catching up with all of you!

As the door closes on the Track, doors are opening for me back home. Specifically, I am awaiting a time of reconciliation with my dad's family. I also look forward to continuing to spread the message of A Voice for the Voiceless throughout southern Manitoba. I know that this will not be the last of my world travels and once again just want to thank you so much for all of your support and encouragement along the way! My step by step journey would not have been possible without you! So bring on the scarves and boots - I'm coming home!

We Are Longing

I had the privilege of joining the Bay Community Church for their 16th Anniversary celebration, which included the launch of their first worship CD: We Are Longing. I am so excited to be able to take a little of what I've experienced in this church back home with me. All the songs on the CD are written by members of the church. Head to the church's website to listen to a sample of the music at www.baycc.org.za

Pull Back the Curtains

I know that it's getting colder back home and the snow is on its way but I have to share my view with you. When I wake up and draw back the curtains, this is what I see! For the past week or so, it has really felt like summer with temperatures in the high 20's to low 30's.

An Indigenous Sleeping Beauty

Liza's (the teacher I've been working with at the high school) daughter Kloey was the main dancer in her ballet school's production of Sleeping Beauty. It was great fun to get dressed up with a couple of the girls and have a night out. There were dancers of all ages and the little ones almost stole the show, but Kloey was so strong and did an amazing job. Bravo!

Bedbugs

As if the million jigger bites I got this summer were not enough, now I have bedbug bites. Some how I was overlooked in the lice epidemic, but not lucky enough to bypass the bedbugs. I am now beginning to understand more and more the need for a cold, cold winter - to kill the vermin!

Punch Buggy - Sky Blue

See, I told you!

Punch Buggy - Army Green

Still on the search!

I Just Realized. . .

While speaking at St. Martin's yesterday, I let them know that my dad had told me it has been mild back home: -8! Not only will I have to deal with quite a temperature change (it's been about +30 here for the last few days - finally!), but I also realized another change. Because I'm on the other side of the equator, the days are getting longer, approaching the longest day, December 21, which is the shortest day back home. Will I survive the temperature along with the darkness?!?

St. Martin's

Man was I blessed today! I was invited to speak at St. Martin's Anglican Community Church (through speaking at the Christian Union group at the high school, a student bought a Voice for the Voiceless Prayer booklet, brought it home and his dad made arrangements for me to speak at their church). I was only given 5 minutes and I stuck to my time! I had to talk quickly, but obviously got my point across. The 29 prayer booklets I bought along went like hotcakes, so we quickly drove back to the office to pick up more. Their first service (7:45 am start) is a more traditional service and the 9:30 service (where I also had 5 minutes and stuck to it!) is more contemporary. I sold a total of 90 booklets, raising 2000 rand (about $280!). So cool!

The family that helped me make all the arrangements took me out for lunch and then we went for a drive to the other side of the mountain (from our place). We went up Boyes Drive up to Chapman's Peak and were given a stunning view of Hout Bay (pictured below). Just SO blessed today!

Make That 10

My good friend and roommate Cath has decided to stay back in South Africa (her home country) in the new year and will not continue on with the Track. She will finish out the quarter with us and then try to figure out specifics for the new year and new direction that God is taking her. So that makes 10.

CCFM Interview

I was able to do a live interview with Lynn Baker at CCFM - the local Christian radio station. I think it went o.k., especially being the first time I did a live interview. We talked for about 1/2 hour, discussing the prayer booklet and missions in general.

We're Now Down to 11

So we are now down to 11 Trackers. Our married couple has decided to leave and pursue other missions opportunities. I'm sad to see them go but know that they have many more great things ahead of them. Next week is the final, final money deadline for finances due this quarter and there are still 2 people owing. God only knows what Track will look like by the time we break for Christmas. I ask for your prayers as I continue to seek God's direction of whether to continue on in the Track or to look at other options. The idea of Track is great, but there are serious issues with leadership and communication.

"And another one gone, And another one gone. . ."

ONLY ONE MORE MONTH

The most important thing about today is that it's ONLY ONE MORE MONTH until I land back on Canadian soil!!! I hear that it's been warmer back home than usual - I hope it stays that way for me!

The Most Wonderful Birthday Gift

About 9 years ago things erupted within my dad's family and, due to the abuse I had suffered as a child, I cut off all ties with my extended family. It was difficult to do - they only lived 10 minutes from my parents and we attended the same church. I was bitter and angry, and I refused to speak or associate with them. I know that part of the reason I came to this program was to be able to deal with all of this garbage in my life. I finally came to understand that forgiveness was really about setting me free, even though forgiveness had not been asked for from my family.

It made me a little nervous to think about going home at Christmas in this regard. I didn't think that God would require me go to my grandparents place where the abuse had occurred. And so I was left wondering. I let my parents know that I would be willing to speak with the family but only at my parents house.

A miracle happened (well, at least that's the email message that I received from my mom)! There has been no contact either way between my grandparents and me, no birthday or Christmas gifts, nothing over the last 9 years. My grandparents did not even say goodbye to me in April, knowing that I could potentially be gone for 2 years (and they knew the details because of our church). My mom was doing some fundraising for me in church this past Sunday and my grandfather came up to her and handed her a cheque for me. It was the most wonderful birthday gift (not the money) - the door has been opened! And though I know it will be hard, I am hoping for reconciliation and healing to happen at Christmas (which would be the most wonderful Christmas gift!).

Errebache Website

Many of you will know that my team was working on a website this summer for a Panamanian indigenous tribe called Errebache. As a team, we did not have any experience in creating a website, but God was so good to us and we are thankful for the finished product. The website promotes their culture as well as the tourism that will sustain their tribe.

We need to have more traffic to the site in order to bump it up on search engines, specifically Google. So I am asking for a big favor (and you are more than welcome to pass along this information to your circle of people): please go to www.google.com and enter "Errebache" as your search word. I know that people unfamiliar with the tribe will not type in "Errebache", but the hope is that if the traffic to the site increases through Google, then hopefully the site will start coming up more frequently in other searches. Scan the list and look for www.errebache.com (which was close to the top the last time I checked) and enter the site from there. Of course, if you haven't already, please check out the site. If you find any errors or inconsistencies in the site, please pass it on to me so that it can be changed. Thank you!

Mennonite Giving

I talked a while ago about the Mennonites being a blessed people. The message today at The Bay (the church I attend out here) was about being a giving people. And I really believe that part of the reason that Mennonites have been blessed is because they are so giving and generous. I have certainly looked to the example that my parents have given me, which includes so much more than just the giving of money. They give of their time, energy and other resources. And I am so thankful to have grown up seeing their generosity and the way it continues even today.

The Week That Was

What a week it has been. After Monday it was difficult to touch base with Ngoie - she ended up in the hospital with swollen and bruised legs. I ask that you keep her in your prayers. She has been given a prescription but more tests will be done next week as the doctors believe that it is something in her blood. I was able to visit her home and meet some of her family yesterday. I was also able to buy some groceries for them, but I think it was more of a blessing for me than for them. You should have seen Ngoie's sister shop - she had A LOT of fun!

Besides working on my assignment with Ngoie, I've spent the week preparing slide shows and presentations for my time home at Christmas. Wednesday was spent in Cape Town getting my visa extended (and it was an agonizing process!). Beyond that, the rain really has not ceased, so it's been difficult to get around. Trackers are slowly returning back to the house and classes start up again on Monday.


P.S. - Happy Birthday to me! Thanks to all of you both near and far that helped me celebrate! Photo thanks to Naomi.

Ngoie - Part 4

As our time came to an end on Monday, I came back to the place we had started. I told her that I couldn't get her comment out of my head - pay it forward. Why did she want to pay it forward?

As I looked into her eyes, I saw a regular teenager. I didn't see a small child, escaping war in the middle of the night. I didn't see an 11 year old girl, standing by her mother's grave. I didn't see a soul without hope, though if anyone could have a reason to, it would be her.

I saw potential and possibility. I saw strength. I saw peace.

"There were so many people that helped us, through the wars and especially when my mom was sick. And most of the people who helped us were underprivileged themselves, but they just gave. I pay it forward to say 'thanks' even though I can't repay all those people."

Ngoie - Part 3

I asked Ngoie if her family changed after her mom passed away.

"It had to change," she said, "I have experienced things that others my age have not experienced. We know how to deal with the tough times, fleeing war-torn countries. We know where help is needed."

As if Ngoie has not already experienced enough injustice, her family lives in a township (which goes back to the apartheid and I don't even have the space to begin speaking about that here). Because they are foreigners to South Africa, her dad has a hard time getting work and if he does get work, he is not paid properly. They are continuing to seek resettlement, specifically in Canada.

Part of what sustains Ngoie is her religion - she is a Jehovah's Witness. It is a personal decision to be baptized and become a JW (not something just passed on from parents). Ngoie made the decision at 11, after her mom passed away. She spends her weekends at the Kingdom Hall.

Ngoie - Part 2

After trying to meet up at a number of different times and places, Ngoie and I were finally able to sit down and talk this past Monday. She is #5 of 8 children and has lived all over Africa: DRC (Democratic Republic of the Congo), Burundi, Tanzania, Mozambique, and now South Africa. Her family was constantly on the move as they fled war, running as refugees in the middle of the night from country to country. As it pertains to my assignment, I have "an injustice", but it wasn't war that brought me to tears as she shared her story.

While living in a refugee camp in Mozambique, her mom kept going to the doctor but they couldn't figure out what was wrong. She was still breastfeeding Ngoie's youngest brother, which probably didn't help in trying to diagnose the problem. It was finally decided by the family that Ngoie's mom would go to South Africa and it was here in 2001 that she was diagnosed with breast cancer. Ngoie was only 11 years old when her mom passed away.

And I sat there, unable to contain my tears. I wanted to comfort a hurting 11 year old girl and, at the same time, I wanted to scream in anger that, because of where they lived and their circumstances, Ngoie's mom was not diagnosed or treated in enough time to maybe save her life. We sat in silence and then Ngoie asked me if I was o.k. I have not lived through war or lost my mom to breast cancer and she's the one asking me if I'm o.k.

Ngoie - Part 1

I want to introduce you to the student that I am working with this week. Our assignment is to shoot a photo-documentary (basically telling a story with 5 - 8 pictures), dealing with any injustice. I met Ngoie ("nn" + "goie" rhymes with joy) about 1.5 weeks ago. I was giving a Voice for the Voiceless presentation to the grade 11's at the high school where I'm been volunteering (when we first arrived, I was SO excited to find this school because it's a block away from our house). Once I was finished, Ngoie literally jumped up to speak with me and asked for some of the quotes I had used in the presentation.

Later that afternoon I met with the Interact/CHOC club at school (they deal with fundraising and charities in the community), of which Ngoie is a member. Ngoie, the Interact/CHOC teacher and I went to the local pregnancy crisis center, but before we left, I asked Ngoie why she was involved in Interact/CHOC. She replied, "I want to pay it forward."

I couldn't get Ngoie or her comment about paying it forward out of my head. I talked to my fellow Trackers that had been working with her in the Film Club (she's a very active student) and also to the Interact/CHOC teacher and everyone said that she has lived a pretty hard life in her short 17 years. It begs the question, "WHAT do you have to pay forward and WHY do you want to pay it forward?"

Rain, Rain, Go Away!

We are waiting and waiting for summer to arrive around here. I guess after Panama's heat and humidity, you just gain a certain tolerance level for the warmer side of the thermometer. (I don't know how I'm going to survive the cold back home at Christmas!) The wind is one thing, being as close to the ocean as we are, but the rain is another. It has been raining (and I mean RAINING) since Friday without reprieve. I woke up to rain again this morning and wondered if it would ever stop. It's difficult to go anywhere (including to catch the train) because it's at least a 15 minute walk and those 15 minutes have proven difficult this weekend. People come back to the house, soaked to the bone. Thankfully, the clouds did move away and by the time I was ready to head out this morning, though the ground was wet, the rain had finally stopped falling from the sky (for now anyway!).

And Then There Were 13

With Genevi (pictured - right) leaving last weekend and Kristin (pictured - center) heading home today, that leaves the Track at 13 (hopefully not an unlucky number). I wish Kristin well as she makes a 24-hour stop in Hong Kong before landing back in the good old U.S. of A. again. I have really enjoyed getting to know her and am so encouraged to see her continue to ask questions and press God for answers about her faith.

Kristin, the Track just won't be the same without you! Thanks for sharing yourself and your stories. I feel your tears and I know that God is not done working in you yet!


P.S. - Another one bites the dust!!

Field Trip Week #1

Next week is the first of our two field trip weeks. We have a photo-documentary assignment to work on, focusing on any injustice area of our choosing. Some people are taking the bus or flying to various parts of South Africa or surrounding countries. I am staying back this first week (in hopes that the money budgeted for the 2 weeks together will get me somewhere the second week). I hope to be able to connect with one of the students that I have met at the high school, which is easier said than done! I also have a lot to prepare for my presentations at Christmas time and so I'm thankful for this good chunk of time to get that done (or at least a good start!).

Dust Bin Day

Even though we've been in South Africa for 2 months now, living at the Track house 1.5 months, some things are just hard to get used to. We are slowly picking up some of the local lingo (it's not "yeah", it's "ja" - like German) and there are things that are "normal" now that were not when we first arrived. But Friday mornings always bring me back to the life that I am living in South Africa, versus other places in the world. Friday is dust bin day (aka garbage day) for our neighbourhood. But before the rubbish is actually picked up, there are homeless and other poverty-stricken people that go through our bin in search of food, other items they deem of importance to them, and recyclables. They go up and down the streets, knowing which neighbourhood to go through on which day. If something accidentally drops into the garbage back home, we are disgusted to have to go and find it, but that is a regular part of these lives.

Punch Buggy - Cow

Seeing the beetle world in black and white:

May God Bless You

I received the following quote from one of my leaders (Diane) today and I want to share it with you:

"May God bless you with discomfort at easy answers, half truths and superficial relationships so that you may live deep within your heart. May God bless you with anger at injustice, oppression and exploitation of people so that you may work for justice, freedom and peace. May God bless you with tears to shed for those who suffer from pain, rejection, starvation or war so that you may reach out your hand to comfort them and to turn their pain into joy. And may God bless you with enough foolishness to believe that you can make a difference in this world so that you can do what others claim cannot be done."

~Francis of Assisi

Youth Group

I love being able to work with youth and because of my job, normally I have to pass up working with a church youth group (because how weird is it having a teacher teach you and then seeing them in the evening as your youth leader?). I have been able to connect with the Bay's youth group over the last few weeks and have had so much fun. Last night there were 2 girls and about 6 boys (last week there were just boys, which is so strange, coming from our house of just girls). It's great just to be able to hang out with them, play games and talk God. Next week I'll be sharing about Voice for the Voiceless with them.

Thank You!

I just want to send out a big thank you to all of you who baked or stopped by the bake sale on Saturday to support me! We were able to raise about $400, which is awesome! Thank you also for those of you who have been buying the World's Finest Chocolates and Threads of Hope from my parents - they are still selling these items, so if you're interested (especially with Christmas around the corner) please let my parents know. Next on the fundraising list is IGA/Sobey gift cards and Spenst pizzas. My parents also have Voice for the Voiceless 30-Day Prayer Booklets for $5 - consider giving them as part of your Christmas gifts this year.

Punch Buggy - Royal Blue

EVERYWHERE!