Dumelang, lelapa oa ka le metswoalle oa ka!
I have really enjoyed reading your comments on this blog even if they are brief, they make me smile and think of you =) We have been in Soweto for a week now. Eva and I have Sotho names that we go by here, mine is Bophelo (it means Life) and hers is Warona (Ours). Our family is very large. We live with our great grandparents, Nkhono, and Ntate-Moholo, our mother Mamokete, her two daughters, Naledi (7) and Thuto (almost 2), and about 6-7 other random cousin/sibling figures who come and go. Our days consist of meeting in the mornings as an entire group to do day trips, and then generally free afternoons. Somtimes we meet as a group in the evening as well. This week we visited the Apartheid Museum, the Hector Pietersen Museum, the Pecata Mundi church (where the students hid from the police during a shooting: you can still see the bullet holes in the ceiling). We went to a soccer game at the World Cup Stadium, Keizer Cheifs vs. Orlando Pirates. We are going to another game this Saturday. That experience was incredible, the fans were absolutely insane. We have made a lot f visits to schools. I really enjoy those because I often get to be in a classroom and once I even taught part of a math lesson. There were 56 students in one room. On Sunday we went to an African Independent church. There were a lot of things that made me uncomfortable, but many things I could appreciate. Today we went to a church service at the local hospice where they prayed over gallons of water for the Holy Spirit to enter it, and then we all drank a glass. There are many things like this that seem strange to us but I am learning to appreciate the sincerity of the church member here in how they understand Christ even if it is different than how I would think of it. There are so many more things that I have seen and it's frustrating because I feel like I am always writing such a shallow overview of the events here. Sometime hopefully I will be able to spent a bit of time talking about what I am learning and not so much about what I am doing. I am learning to appreciate my family here more each day, even though living with kids is extremely exhausting! Please continue to lift up our group in prayer. Love, Laura
I hope you are also keeping a journal of what happens in greater detail because your time is so packed with new and strange experiences. This time will probably form you more than anything else you experience in your life because it is so different. I envy your experience. Be safe and I continue to pray for you.
ReplyDeleteWe miss you! Dorothy was wearing your earrings today. But she said it was okay because they were in her room. OOXO MOm
ReplyDeleteDumelang Bophelo, What a beautiful name. Does the "ph" sound like the letter "f" or is the "P" and "H" distinct? Your blog is quite interesting and I check it everyday. I also enjoyed seeing your picture on the EMU website. Love and prayers. Papa Gerald
ReplyDeleteHello
ReplyDeleteFinally I think I'm getting a letter to you. I had your Mom, your Dad, and Miguel helping me at different times. I wrote 3 letters to you that you didn't get. Computers can be so Troublesome.
ReplyDeleteI do wonder how big your host's house is with all the people coming and going,plus 2 american girls.
I am majoring in cooking these days. It seems that we always have 1,2,or 3 extra people at the table. On sunday we had 8 around the table. Miguel, his daughter, Yes, Ada, her mother and grandmother who was visiting from NYC.
Kevin, the painter, who is around here alot, has few teeth and can only eat soft foods. He ate honeydew for the first time this week. Food that he likes he says it's fit to kill. But since he thinks I don't like that he says it's fit to live.
This week I went to a get acquainted meeting for the guy from Egypt that is working at Gift and Thrift. He is here for 9 mo. or so in a program of MCC. He showed slides of his church(Coptic),his family , etc. he speaks English well, but it isn't my kind of English.
Grandpa was invited to go to take a hot sulfur bath tomorrow. He opted to cover the pool instead. It was quite cool today.
I love you, and pray for your group.
Grandma K.