Poinsettias Year Round

South Africa has sort of a tropical, Mediterranean climate. The weather is truly amazing here. And they really grow poinsettias. They grow them year round into full size bushes/trees. Huge bushes...6 foot tall sometimes. So, this year for Christmas I thought I would get my first poinsettia plant and try my hand at actually growing one. For the first time I can have this plant at Christmas and not have to throw it away after New Years. So, now begins my attempt at growing a poinsettia!



Oh, and tonight I had friends over (Glinys, her two daughters, and the daughter's friend) to help put together Christmas packages for the staff and their kids at Eagles Rising. It was so much fun! A lady in Abilene had the great idea of sending Christmas gifts. She sent toys, candy, socks, teachings, books, papers, folders, all kinds of things. Plus some herbal teas for me. Yeah!!! Oh, and of course, candy canes. It was fun putting it all together tonight and it was fun sharing the American candies. The biggest hit: Hershey Kisses. Which made me remember how much I love the Mint Kisses and cherry kisses that come out at Christmas time. Can anyone buy me some before they are all gone???? I'll be home in Feb to fetch them :)
Oh, and I don't know if you can see my new TV in the first picture. Wow, I have a huge TV. It took me two days to get past this guilty feeling that missionaries shouldn't be able to have such nice things. I literally stayed up all night for two nights thinking this just can't be right. Today, Glinys told me about how Mother Teresa shared that she had to have good food, high quality clothes, and plenty of rest to do her work. She lived so long and was able to be effective throughout her life because she knew she had to have some nice things along the way. Glinys said after knowing me it seems the thing I need most is a comfortable, peaceful, enjoyable, safe, inviting place to live in. So maybe this is a piece of quality home life for me as a missionary.
But it is a HUGE TV!!!!! It looked like a normal size TV in the store among all the other giant TV's. But once I got it out of the store I could see it is really big. But on the day that I wrote about before....when there were no more TV's of the one I went for. I asked God to please make this thing clear. On one hand it is really just a TV and who cares! But I just knew God was using it as a lesson in my life. it is really not about the TV, it is about a lot of stereo types about how missionaries are suppose to live being destroyed in my mind. So, anyway, on that day I just said, God can you point me in the direction of another TV or else send the other half of finances that I need to get the LCD. I gave an exact amount for the LCD. The next morning my mom wrote to say she was putting Christmas money from her and my grandmother into my account...it was the exact amount I had mentioned to God. Then, my mom wrote that I should use it to get the TV. So there you have it.....I've never had a really nice TV in my life. Now that I'm a missionary in Africa God sends me a big screen, flat panel TV. How do you like that. Its challenged all my images about how missionaries are suppose to live. I keep telling God that it simply does not look right. God keeps telling me He doesn't care if it looks right, He wanted to give a gift so He gave it...and it will be used well. And it puts me in a position to be more relate-able to the people I live near here. While I'm doing community work and outreach in impoverished areas, I live in a safe, nice area. People here need to know God is not just the God of poverty. They have a desperate need for God in their lives, too. Read about the lukewarm church in Revelation. God says that they think they have everything they need but they are actually the ones in poverty. That is what I am praying through right now. In so many ways the people living in physical poverty are not necessarily the poor ones here.
Okay, enough for tonight :) J

Finally a new blog

Okay, so something funny/strange happened today that I thought I would blog about. Then, I got into the blog and saw I have not written since September. That's terrible. So sorry. The truth is I write funny blogs in my head every time something random happens here. Unfortunately, I simply forget to actually get on-line and really write down the blogs. My brain knows the blog has already been written, it just does not acknowledge that the blog was only written in my mind. Does that make any sense???

Anyway, for my random experience today. This was a TIA moment. I have begun to really use the TIA phrase...did you see Blood Diamond? That was my first introduction to TIA. But its true. "This is Africa" is really the appropriate response to many, many things here. So, today I had a TIA experience.

First, let me preface with this: I have had a 13 inch TV since I arrived here. (That is smaller than a computer screen!) There was an amazing lady when I first got here that gave me some basic household things to get going with. One of them was a 13 inch TV circa 1980 (or maybe even older than that). The screen color is not so bright so you actually cannot see anything when the sun is out. I have to wait until the sun goes down in the evening for everything to get dark enough to be able to see the TV screen. When I moved into the new house I finally had some ladies over for a ladies night (something I would like to do more of....great way to reach out to people). We were going to watch a movie, but we had to find other sources of entertainment until the sun went down. Then, I pulled the TV up so that it was sitting right in the middle of the 4 of us. Then, one lady had to find her reading glasses to be able to see the screen. Very humorous moment!

So, I keep debating getting an actual TV. On one hand it is money that can be used for other things. But I have ministry excuses for needing a TV....really. I've been working with another family here who has small group DVD teachings and we have a weekly meeting in their home. They have teenage kids, though, and need a break from the weekly meeting in the home. So, I need to start hosting some home groups that could use DVD teachings. Plus, a friend of mine gave me a Wii. Yes, it is great for personal enjoyment, but the purpose is to be able to have some of the young people I work with over and we can all enjoy the Wii. So, there really is a greater reason than just wanting a TV for personal use. Really.

Anyway......today was the day, I was going to buy a TV. They are about twice as expensive here as they are at home, and they are almost fully moved over to LCD here. That is amazing to me. Granted I've been gone from the States for 9 months now and a lot can change in 9 months. But when I left I only knew one person with an LCD or flat panel screen of any kind. All the rest of us still had the bulky old TVs. But most people I know here have an LCD. At the moment, I can't afford an LCD, though. (Funny that all these Africans have LCD screens. I'm treated like the rich American most of the time, but I don't have money for a TV equivalent to everyone else's. Go figure.) So, I waited and shopped around and I finally found an off-brand, mid-sized, old school TV for less than $250...that is a major bargain around here. So today I go for this TV. Well, actually I tried to get it a week ago, but here you have to pay a yearly fee to have a TV because they have 3 public broadcast channels and this is how they fund these channels. So, last week I couldn't buy the TV without proof that I had paid my yearly fee. After paying the fee, I now went to buy the TV.

Its a huge ordeal of paperwork and calling to confirm I really paid the TV fee.....all that for a TV :) But when I arrived I saw the LCD TV's. I could get the same size LCD for double the cost of the old school TV. Very tempting as I looked at those screens. How much easier to move when I need to move next. How much of a nicer screen. I know I'm a missionary and all, but really the LCD is just normal, average TV here. How tempting. I talked myself out of the TV and into saving back to be able to get the LCD in a few months.

I drove away. I was almost home when the thought comes that I will most likely not save back for the LCD. There will be a crisis of food at the ministry or someone will need help with something. I'll end up giving away the money before I ever save back for the better TV. So, off I go back to the store to buy the old school TV. Back through the paperwork. We have to call again about the TV fee and get a new reference number....another almost 30 minutes of paperwork. At this point I am 1.5 hours into this ordeal.
Then, finally, they go back to get the TV....and........their entire stock is damaged. Seriously, the stock just came in today. A whole new load of these TVs and they are all damaged. Now, at this stage almost all of the old school TVs are phased out here in South Africa. They literally have a handful of them to choose from. If I get the name brand of the old school TV, then it cost twice as much as the off-brand; which is the same price as the LCD. So, here I stand 1.5 hours later with no TV and no option of another TV to choose from. TIA......only in Africa does an entire stock of TVs come to the store damaged. Only in Africa is there only one TV to choose from. And only in Africa would they tell me that it will be sometime next year before they get more stock in, but they can't say when the sometime could be. That is my TIA story of the day.

I just want to balance this story out by saying that as frustrating as some things like this are, there are a 100 wonderful things here to make up for it. It is just that moments like this still catch me off guard. I still walk away shaking my head thinking what a crazy adjustment all of this is. But, seriously, if you could have seen the beautiful view I had during work today and been working on things to change the lives of youth in a nation that needs change then you could see how all of this is more than worth it!!! Right now during the holidays I am mostly working from home. I'm currently trying to put together a manual to help volunteers coming to help at Eagles Rising. Then, I need to put together some well-worded goals and objectives for the ministry. Then, I have a grant I want to write. Then, I need to put together curriculum for two classes I will get to teach next year. That is a whole lotta sittin at the computer!!!!! But its great. I'm excited that all these things are getting put into place so that the amazing work being done at this ministry can continue to grow and prosper. Thankfully, I just moved into a new house and the view is awesome, overlooking the Stellenbosch Mountains just north of Cape Town. This really is the most beautiful place in the world!!

I'm making a commitment to write in this blog many times during the holidays to catch you up on all the blogs I wrote in my mind :) I hope I can hold to this commitment!!!!!
Thanks for reading! J

View from my front window at home: