A funny conversation

I just had a funny conversation with some of my South African friends. It started with, "Is it true that in America people......" followed by random things people think happen in America. This is a rather common conversation only usually its not true. Today these things were really true and it was funny that my friends find them weird.
The first question was, "Is it true that in America people that come to your house can just open up the fridge or cabinets and get what they want from the kitchen." Answer - if they know you and you have told them to fell free to help themselves, then, yes. Response - "That is so rude! Who do people think they are that they can just help themselves to the things in your kitchen." Funny? Here people serve you everything. They ask if you want something to drink or eat or whatever and they make it all for you, bring it out of the kitchen on a tray, and serve it to you.....even good friends that you know well. My neighbors are the girls at the House of Prayer. I'm in and out of their house several times every single day, but I cannot help myself to my own cup of tea in their kitchen. To me that is weird and really uncomfortable that I have to be waited on, but that's culture here.
Okay next, "Is it true..." question. Is it true that it is okay for people to brush their teeth at the kitchen sink? My response - huh? Their answer - on tv sometimes you see people brush their teeth at the kitchen sink. My response - well, if the bathroom is being used and your really tired or in a hurry; then occasionally, yes, you might use the kitchen sink to brush your teeth. Their response - "That is so gross! I would rather go brush my teeth outside if I'm in a hurry than spit in the kitchen sink."
So I told them that I think its disgusting that people here sometimes just wash out their drinking glasses with hot water and no soap. Its really gross. It makes me want to wash every cup I use at someone's house before I drink from it. But I shove down my disgust and drink from cups at other people's houses anyway. Their argument is that at least it is hot water they wash the cup with and that still does not compare to how gross it is that Americans would be willing to spit in the kitchen sink.
Oh my goodness, it was a funny conversation. I wish you all could have been in the middle of it because we were laughing and laughing.
I did discover an understanding about culture, though. The reason it is so rude to walk into someone's kitchen here is because of the issues with poverty. That person really might not have anything at all in their kitchen to eat. So, rather than embarrassing them by observing their financial struggle, it is polite to stay out of the kitchen.
Maybe the no soap thing is also linked to poverty issues and having to conserve, so glasses that have only been drunk out of don't rate the use of soap.
But being so disgusted by spitting out your toothpaste in the sink still cracks me up :)

Another one of those amazing days

A couple of weeks ago I had another one of these amazing days when you just sit back and say, "Thanks, God, that I get to do this!"
I was at Eagles Rising and all the other staff where out for the afternoon. So, on the spur of the moment I asked the students to come to the prayer room for a time of worship. All these students are working towards jobs or further education. Its the main reason they are at ER. Now is crunch time...we're constantly helping students with finding options and applications. It is a lot of work right now! And it is so overwhelming sometimes...there is no funding at ER to pay for these things. So, if a student wants to apply for college they must pray and trust God that the funding for the fee for the application will come from somewhere....this is where we are right now....in a month or so we will be praying about where the funding for school or work uniforms/clothes will be coming from. But every day is a day of praying and asking God to meet these needs.
So, on this one day I spoke to the students about beginning to praise God because He is already answering our requests, we are just waiting to see the answer in our lives. But even as we wait to see the answer, He is already answering and putting things in place. So we began to worship with songs of thanksgiving and declaring the goodness of God.....now these students can worship!!! So, over two hours later when some of the other staff returned we were still going strong in the prayer room. But, Johan, who leads the Sir Lowry's Pass Village outreach was back and it was time to go into this nearby township where we do outreach every week. So, we took the drums with us to SLPV. We gathered the children together that usually come for activities with the ER students, and we continued singing and playing games with the kids. Wow! It was a great day.

LCU Team

Over the past couple of weeks a team from Lubbock Christian University came to work with the students at Eagles Rising. Wow! They did fantastic work with the students, and seeing the students respond to their activities showed even more how amazing these students are. All of the ER students are so amazing and have so much potential to do great things in life, they just have not had the opportunity to shine like God created them to shine. These past couple of weeks with the LCU team showed this even more. The team did lots of group activities and taught on goal setting, communication, overcoming obstacles, releasing burdens, and so much more. I have done these group activities in school before and I've lead these types of group activities with students in America. But I have never seen students grab hold of the purpose of the group activities and then apply it to their lives so quickly. The students have been impacted greatly and are excited about the new things they have learned. I think this LCU team has also been impacted greatly, as well. It makes me so excited to see more teams come. I can really see how fruitful the time with this team has been!!
Here's the LCU team on a freezing cold South African day when they went on a safari:







This is Jill, the leader of the team. She came with me to South Africa a year and a half ago and got excited about the possibilities of a team coming to help at ER. She has done a great job leading this team!




This is another social work professor from LCU (Tony) and his wife (Shelly) who works in admissions that both came with the team. Here they are enjoying a beautiful South African sunset.



Jordan just finished studying at LCU and is preparing to begin his Masters in Social Work. This picture is of Jordan and ER student, Ceasar.



This picture shows Marivelle, an LCU Social Work student who took the class I taught on International Social Work. I'm here in the picture with Marivelle along with ER students, Zimasa and Nomnikelo.




I love this picture! From left to right: Auntie Cookie, the cook at ER. Marivelle. ER student, Sivuyile. Jill, and in front- ER student, Andiswa.