Update, Flowers, and Newsletter

First, I wanted to give you an update on the "strike season" that I wrote about. One of my South African friends has informed me that "strike season" begins around April every year when the new fiscal budgets are set for the government and businesses. People strike throughout negotiations about salary increases and benefits. Then, the "season" ends some time around September each year. So there you have it. It truly is a "season", it just happens to be about half the year every year. I have learned to appreciate one thing about all this striking. Today all the people working for non-profit social agencies held a march rather than a strike, but their purpose was to march to the government offices here in Cape Town to say that they are not okay with how low their salaries are in comparison to government and for-profit workers doing the same work. Wow! The same problem exists in America…..I worked as a Social Worker for a number of non-profits at home and now this problem very intimately. Social Workers along with all employees at non-profit agencies make ridiculously low salaries for the most part, and they know they can make more in government agencies and for-profit jobs. Yet, in America I don't know of anyone that thinks there is a solution to the problem. It is just sort of a problem that is accepted as simply being the way things work. In South Africa people have a hope that things can change and their actions can be a part of the solution. I started blogging about the strikes last week thinking they are almost completely negative. But I have to say, after a week of pondering my blog about the strikes, I have now found this amazing aspect to them. How amazing to have a society of people who don't just accept things as they are but genuinely expect that changes are possible. Hmmmm....I've got so much to learn from the people here!

My second topic for this post is the flowers I recently bought for my house. I went out to buy herbs and various lettuce plants so that I can grow my own salad. That's right, I'm growing a salad. So many people here grow gardens and I would love to plant a garden but the yard at my house is not made right for a garden. At the nursery near me they actually sell seedlings to plant your own potted "salad". That is what it says on the seedlings...grow your own salad. I like it. Anyway, now I have about 11 herbs and 4 different lettuces, which are soon to be a salad.




While I was at the nursery, I found the most beautiful flower plant I have ever seen in my life. It is a black calla lily. Really it’s a purple color, but it is gorgeous. They have lots of calla lilies here, just growing on the side of the road and in people’s yards everywhere. This is the first black one I have seen. So, it was a bit expensive, but I couldn’t help myself. Back in Texas we don’t get these things every day. So, this is my first truly South African plant for my house. How beautiful!









































And, now, for my final blog topic today….here’s my August newsletter :)

Kalk Bay

So, one of my favorite places here is down the East coast of Cape Town. Its a little community called Kalk Bay. They have the best coffee shop I've found so far in the whole of South Africa, which may be the main reason I love it so much. But it is this quaint little place with little shops, art galleries, and (as I've mentioned) the most amazing coffee shop.
The town is right on the coast where boats come in with fresh fish. A couple of weeks ago I went with some friends to visit this place on a beautiful, sunny, Sunday after church. The friends I went with are the most amazing family that I stayed with when I first arrived here. They've become some of my closest friends and have made me feel like a part of their family. So, here are a few pictures of beautiful Kalk Bay and our outing that day. And, you'll even see the fresh fish Jose & Glyns bought. It was thrown off the boat, a lady right there gutted it and wrapped it in newspaper, then it went home in the car with us.

God is Faithful

The longer I'm in South Africa the more I see God's faithful hand on this nation. I have been here almost six months and for six months the news has had a story about it being "strike season". Now, for those of us who have no idea what strike season is....it is when people in certain industries of work strike to see change in their work places. The first time I heard about "strike season" I thought maybe this would last one month. The news does use the word "season" when talking about it. But so far this has been a six month season and I see no end in sight. So, maybe its always strike season in South Africa.
I have seen the taxi drivers strike at least four times since I've been here, the bus drivers have been on strike, then came the train strikes, (when taxis, buses, and trains are on strike the majority of people cannot go to work. So these strikes slow down all business here.), the doctors went on strike for a very long time and many patients suffered through this, the service delivery workers (That was great. There was no garbage pick up for about a week.), the workers of a chain of stores here, the laborers (That is a huge category of people and their strike caused a lot of physical damage on streets here in Cape Town), the university students at certain universities have been on strike, and now the postal workers. That's right, mail is not being delivered now.
In the midst of all this striking I really just keep thinking how faithful God has been to this nation. Things here are continuing to grow and progress. Businesses are expanding, the Rand (money currency here) has strengthened in its value since I have been here, stadiums are being built for the 2010 Soccer World Cup, road development and construction is increasing. Amazing!!! I don't know how all these things keep growing with all the strikes going on. It is really a sign of God's faithfulness to see this nation grow into what He has called it to be.
South Africa is a very young nation with a very young government. The current government system has only been in place since 1994. I know God is giving this nation time to grow up. The day will come when the voices of all people in this nation can be heard, strikes will no longer be a needed tool to get leadership to hear the people's concerns, and everyone will be able to communicate with one another. What a day that will be!
In the mean time I have three motives with this blog.....1. Just to let you know more about what it is like here. 2. To show God's miraculous work of sustaining this nation. 3. To ask you to pray for people of God in this nation to step up as agents of change so that South Africa will grow in God's ways, and so that His will will be done in this nation!

July Newsletter

I was just realizing some people who have read the blog, don't actually get my monthly newsletter. So, I thought I would post it here for those not getting it by e-mail.
Enjoy!

It’s been a long time with no blog!!!! Sorry for the delay!
Today I thought I would address a question a lot of people have asked me about: What does it look like where I am living?
Well, right now I am staying in the house that the House of Prayer uses as their guest house. I am responsible for hosting people who come here for a visit. That’s something I enjoy doing, so it has worked out well. I’m not certain how long I will stay here, maybe until the end of this year. They have been so gracious to give me the opportunity to stay here as I get started here in South Africa.
So, what’s it like? Well, in nice neighborhoods in South Africa there are small gated communities they call a security complex. In a way it is like a little area of duplexes at home. Except that the community is full of houses rather than duplexes. The houses are a little simpler than the other houses around them. Here crime is very high so each house must have a security fence around the house. In the security complex the security fence surrounds all the houses in the complex, which also makes the houses a little more affordable (sharing the expense of a fence rather than maintaining it on your own). Here they are nice brick homes with small little yards. There is an electric gate coming in and an electric gate going out.

The street the security complex is on. The complex is mid-way down the street on the right:





The gates coming in and out of the complex where I’m staying:





The road through the complex. (The house at the end of the street on the left is where I live.)





The walk way up to my front door:






Roofs here have ceramic tiles (my dad was a roofer, I notice these things )






I get to enjoy all my neighbor’s flowers. I love it! It is winter now so not many of the flowers are in bloom. In a few months this place will be covered in flowers.








This is the most interesting tree at one of my neighbor’s houses:





The man who built this security complex wanted to see a house of prayer in his community. So he contacted Jericho Wall’s ministry and asked them about sending people here to help establish a HOP here. So this building at the front gate was built for the purpose of being a prayer room for a 24/7 HOP in the area.