6/10/06

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6/6/06
Today we went to Bethlehem like we do every Tuesday. My heart was burdened for a few of the people that we visited today. One of the people that we visit every Tuesday are good friends of meh and unedati’s and have been for many years, their names are Henny and Irene. Henny and Irene own a coal company and this year has been the worst year they have had since they have been in the business (18 years). The last two times that we went to visit them they were not able to get any coal, apparently it is all being shipped to Japan and other parts of the world. This is supposed to be the busiest time of year for them, the time when they make the money to support themselves the rest of the year. It is not only them who are being affected in this way but the whole country, and it is not only coal but also liquid propane. If these two resources are not available then what is everyone supposed to use to heat their homes. There is always wood but wood does not last as long as coal. There is also electricity but there are always blackout warnings on the tv for the Cape because the demand is greater than the power plants can tolerate.
Another person for whom I felt for was a man who came up to us on the street with some beautiful carvings which he made from wood, one was a ram and one was a carving of several animals. These carvings are an amazing artwork. The Africans always approach the whites because they assume that we have a lot of money. I am definitely not going to say that I am not very fortunate in comparison to them because that would be a lie. But anyway the man first asked R300, which is about $50, and then cut the price in half. They do a lot of bargaining. I did not have that much money on me or I might have bought one. He said that they take him a month to make and it is hard to know whether to believe him or not, but this is how they make a living. One more reason that I can thank God that I grew up in America and have all of the opportunities that I do.
The third person is a young man named Albert who works at the Toyota dealer. This man and his boss are both friends of meh and unedati. The boss gave his resignation today because he was offered a better opportunity in an area which would be safer for his children to go to school. Albert has really enjoyed working under this man and owes his job and his salesman experience to him. When he gets a new boss he does not know what may happen. He is getting married in October and he is worried that if he were ever to lose this job he would not be able to get another job. It is very hard for a white person to get a good job in South Africa. He said today that if he were offered a job in any other country he would take it in a second.
I believe I tried to explain the corruption in this country in a former blog and I know that I did not do it any justice, but this was an article that was in the opinion section of the newspaper written by a South African, which does a pretty good job:
Aid or Investment for Africa?
By Andrew Kenny, Citizen

Whom should Africans fear more, a European who wants to make money out of them or instead a European who wants to help them?
Without a doubt, the latter. Foreign aid to Africa has been a calamity and has helped to wreck economies.
The greedy capitalist who wants to squeeze profit out of Africa should be welcomed. The pious aid donor who has a patronizing plan for Africa’s future should be kicked out.
These issues were discussed at the World Economic Forum Africa summit in Cape Town last week. There was a lot of argument and emotion over Africa’s reputation as the poor continent.
Well, Africa is the poorest, despite its immense natural resources, for two reasons.
First, because of an accident of geography, sub-Saharan Africa was isolated from the civilizations of Europe and Asia that began about 5000 years ago.
Second, after the ending of colonization, Africa was ruled mainly by corrupt and incompetent government.
Foreign aid has encouraged corruption and incompetence.
The more unsuccessful an African country is, the better its chances of getting foreign aid. Since aid nearly always goes from government to government(a recipe for disaster), this encourages governments to fail.
Unless there are conditions attached to aid (and these are easy to bypass), corrupt leaders will spend it on armoured cars, machine guns, Mercedes, mansions, private education for their children in Europe and foreign bank accounts.
As aid flows in, the economy fails and the people get poorer but corrupt Afican leaders get richer and louder in their condemnation of colonialism and their need for even more aid.
To get investment, by contrast, you have to demonstrate competence. You have to show you have the means of returning a profit to the investors. To do so requires the rule of the law and honest government.
It requires a good infrastructure and a degree of efficiency. To court investment, you are required to court success.
Many African leaders choose failure for their countries. Robert Mugabe is the perfect example. He had the choice between an impoverished Zimbabwe with himself all-powerful and a prosperous Zimbabwe with himself not all-powerful.
He chose the former, and the South African government supported his decision.
I choose success for Africa. So “Yes” to investment and “No” to aid.
Colossians 3:12-14
Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering, bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. But of all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection.
6/7/06
Today we went to Carolina farm in the morning. This was the first time that I was able to see the ostrich up close, they are amazing animals. This particular ostrich has a funny story to tell, it is a female and one day the male ostrich must have upset her cause she kicked him and it was a deadly blow. So now, she has no more man to put up with but she has made good friends with a horse. I hope that the horse does not upset the ostrich.
In the afternoon I had craft with a few girls and by a few I mean two. Two is better than none. We had a good time. The craft was to cut out the letters for the verse Mathew 22:39 and any pictures that they liked. In the middle of the week it is hard to find a good time when all of the interested people can participate due to after school activities and our schedule. During this time of year the weather starts to get rather chilly at about 3 and since the buildings are unheated they start to also get chilly at this point. The weather lately has been beautiful, about 70 during the day. The nighttime gets cold but I cuddle up with some warm blankets and it usually doesn’t bother me.
After craft we had prayer time which was pretty well attended. I enjoyed this time together. The lesson was on 2 Corinthians 6, not being unequally yoked. It is wonderful to hear the prayers all around the table, even if I am unable to understand what they are saying, God does.
Mathew 22:39
…You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
6/8/06
On Thursday mornings we have a bible study and we are going through Proverbs. This week we were on chapter 22. We each take a different verse and explain it. It is nice to hear the different explanations that people have because it may not be what I was thinking that the verse meant but their interpretation still makes sense.
In the afternoon we have a bible study in Clarens. This week was really nice. One of the boys that has not come in years showed up today and it was a pleasant surprise. Also Francine was there today and the last time that she was there she asked that I would pray that she would understand the word and she would be able to accept Christ. She has said the prayer before but had apparently not fully understood it before. I asked her this week if she understood the literature and she said yes and that she had no questions. Thank God for answered prayer.
I was also able to see the water project. This is an amazing project which provides water to Lesotho and parts of South Africa in addition to hydroelectric power. All of the water come from the mountains in Lesotho. Today there was an abundant flow of water. It runs through this tunnel which is large enough for a tractor trailer to drive through. It is amazing to think that all of this water is fed into by rain and melted snow and such but no rivers flow into it, although it does flow into a river which then flows north to Johannesburg. God allows amazing things to happen.
2 Corinthians 6:2
For He says, “In an acceptable time I have heard you, And in the day of salvation I have helped you.” Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.
6/9/06
This morning we started cutting up pumpkin #2. The first pumpkin took a while to cut and cook up but this one was not as bad. The pumpkins here are different, they are a grayish-green in color and they are quite big. They produce a lot of edible material. Meh steamed them and then they were pealed, then mashed, and put into freezer bags for later use. Tonight for dinner we had pumpkin soup, which was very good. Several people have asked me about the food here. I get fed very well and I get to eat a mostly vegetarian diet. We have a garden here and it supplies a great deal of fresh vegetables: tomatoes, carrots, parsley, cauliflower, romaine lettuce, pumpkins, beans, onions, garlic, rosemary, squash, and I am sure there is more that I missed. Most of the Africans eat a lot of mealipop which is corn and it is fixed kind of like cream of wheat but can be made with different things in it and different consistencies. I have had it a few times and I don’t mind it but I would not want to eat it three times a day.
We went to Lesotho today. Lesotho is a small country inside of South Africa. Fouriesburg is about five miles from the border. It was a good experience. There were people everywhere, walking along side of the highway, in the marketplace, sitting in the fields, etc.
The first thing that we did was go to buy some bread. A man there has been baking bread for at least 22 years. Meh and Unedati used to live in Lesotho before it got too dangerous for them to live there. This man bakes his bread in a clay oven outside of his ‘bakery’ (a brick, one room building), he covers the opening of the over with mud after he has put the dough in and knows exactly when to take it out, it is quite a gift. The bread was still warm when we got it and stayed warm long after we got it home and is quite tasty.
The people here really do not respect the earth though, there is litter everywhere. They also do not know how to fertilize. We bought some carrots while we were in Lesotho from some ladies on the side of the road and they looked really good when they held them up and it is always nice to support people who make their living in this way but when we got them home and shredded them they were pale in color indicating that there was not enough nutrients in the soil for the carrots to absorb.
Lunch was wonderful. We went to this little restaurant inside a plaza, they had two things available pork or fried chicken. We all got fried chicken and it was served with rice with tomato gravy which was very good (I wish that I knew how it was made, I would hook it up), pumpkin, and some cucumbers and tomato. It was a nice sized dinner plate and it was served with ginger beer. We all had this and coffee for less than a total of $10, about $3 per person. Now this is not typical, but things here are cheaper than they would be in the states.
After lunch we walked around the plaza, there was not much in it but I did find one store which I liked. It had some homemade hats and other handmade things. In Lesotho some people are very talented, they can turn straw (it has to be a specific kind) into hats and baskets and floor mats and such. I was able to buy a beautiful map of Africa with typical homes coming 3D out from it, it is definitely a piece of art.
Lately we have been listening to John MacArthur’s memory verse CD. You are supposed to listen to one verse and the explanation per week, we have not abided to that plan but this is one verse which I memorized with my little sister. We were memorizing it as we were going down the road. We were close to our house and on back roads, unfortunately I was not paying attention and was on the other side of the road wand when I looked up a truck was coming my way. I quickly swerved to the other side of the road but it was a little too late cause we made contact. We both stopped and assessed the damages, my mirror made contact with his front bumper. I really thought that he was going to make me pay for it and I told him and his wife that I was sorry and that we were actually trying to memorize a bible verse, her face was precious but he was not impressed but he let me off. So this verse will always have a memory attached to it and John MacArthur reminded me today.
Hebrews 4:12
For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is the discerner of thoughts and intents of the heart.

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