National Is’cathamia Competition

Last Saturday night the boys from the Young Zulu Warriors took part in the 10th National Is’cathamia Competition in Durban City Hall. For once I happened to be on weekend off and staying in Durban and we went to support them. The competition started at 7pm and finished around 10am the following morning! We go there around 7.30pm and the boys were number 18 in the line-up but didn’t get to perform their one song until 11.30pm!
Thankfully we were able to come and go in and out of the building to see various performers and then rejoin the boys outside where they were entertaining passers-by and also scaring off the lesser competition by singing loudly. We only saw maybe 6 other groups, and the standard was high. But when the YZWs came on stage, their sound levels and power in their voices blew the competition away and made everyone sit up and take notice (especially those who were already dozing!).
They did really well and walked away the next morning in third position. Considering this is a national competition they did really well.

intermittent ramblings...

September 17, 2007
For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you. Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.
Romans 12:3-5

This was the Bible verse on Facebook today. Just put it on to remind me...

I've been off-internet again, the frustration continues... it's not going to go away.. But the joy of making it to an internet cafe supercedes that and being able to communicate with people who care overrides all annoyance!

Life is fraught with annoying people and situations at the moment, wonder if this is a test of my patience. It's certainly testing... Seems like I am suddenly surrounded by 'challenging' people... Pray for everything I need to live as a child of God in this place. I need support...

Have been busy working on a few workshops and meetings, which are too complex to describe, but they are keeping me occupied a lot. And I need to develop the learnings too. I struggle with this kind of work, I'm not a secretary and I only like Admin if it means I get to spend time with lots of people also, so I'm seriously challenged about my 'office' role at the moment. Lots of thinking about the future. Have some great ideas but don't know the 'how' yet. If they are from God then that will fall into place, so I'm not that worried...

On a different note, we gained 2 more children yesterday, rescued from near tragic situation in the valley. They are doing well and settling in. One is a baby and one is 3, the 3 yr old has a similar name to someone in creche so they were having fun with that last night! This is the first time we've taken in children since I've been here. It's weird that our big family here has increased overnight so unexpectedly. Pray for the children's mother who is in hospital, seriously ill.

ok, time is up here at the internet cafe! Thank you for continuing to pray and support me, even if communication this year seems fraught with difficulties... well, it is Africa after all so I don't know why I'm worried...

Auntie

Oh, and I forgot to say.. Last Friday I became an Auntie for the second time!

J&B had a sister for Gwyneth... Eirys (Iris) Katherine Sofia.

Finally managed to see photos online on Sunday night, she's so teeny tiny and gorgeous. Felt a twinge of sadness that I won't be able to hold her for a long time as no plans to return to UK in the near future, and also that all my family were together without me, but then I remembered that she won't remember any of it, so as long as I see her before her first Birthday I think I'll be ok!

Congratulations to J&B
Commiserations to G for now having to share her parents
and J probably needs prayer for having to live in a female-dominated household!!!

Klutz...

I think I'm becoming a klutz.

First of all I have the whole car light incident (see previous entry), then I manage to lose my car in another mall car park on Sunday and end up exceeding the time on the ticket. Following this I manage to drive into a multi-storey car park at JHB airport looking for the petrol station and have to ask nicely for the security to let me out again immediately (which they did!) .

And then yesterday I went down the valley to visit a preschool with a new volunteer and warned her about the slippiness of a gravel slope you have go down to get into the school. I've been there so many times and never had problems and yesterday I went straight over and slid (gracefully, I like to think) down the slope, grazing my leg and cutting my toe in the process... hmm. Klutzy...

And then I manage to drop my lunch on the floor so that the cats got a good meal of smoked chicken and I had to make do with eggs...

what is going on???!!

Am annoyed this morning because my toe still hurts and I couldn't go to my dance lesson, which means I have no opportunity for exercise this week at all (not good for my health!!) I'm in a workshop from tomorrow to Friday. I think I'll live, although walking is a little painful. It's not a doctor-worthy injury though, but I'm glad I have an automatic car so I don't need to use that leg! This was my first 'accident' since I arrived in S.Africa so it was kind of exciting, although a trifle painful too... Glad I've had all my shots!

Jo'burg

I'm just back from a great few days in the South African Capital of Fun, Johannesburg. Some people question what there is to do there, but there's lots, if you know where to look!

Had a good couple of days at CASNET, where I learnt far more than I really wanted to about child abuse in a Child Protection Workshop, for one thing.The usual hotel where we stayed has recently been awarded some kind of tourism award recently. So you'd think they'd have done away with such insults to la cucina italiana as 'Pasta Hawaii' - penne, carrots, pineapple baked in a white sauce with cheese on top. Any self-respecting Italian in the vicinity would have stormed the kitchens in protest. 'Weird' doesn't really sum it up right. 'Wrong' might be a better description!

In any case, Allet flew up and joined me and our little blue boy-racer VW Chico on Friday evening. I'd picked up the car earlier in the day and driven close by to the airport to East Rand Mall. When I tried to remove key from ignition an alarm went off and I couldn't work out why. After a 10 minute phone call to Avis careline, and conversations with VW experts, the nice man on the other end of the phone pointed out to me that I'd left my lights on... Doh! (It had been a looooong week)

Saturday late morning and we were in the middle of 4 lanes of crazy traffic leaving the CBD (Central Business District) with combi-taxis weaving in and out. (We were reminded later that there are major taxi wars going on at the moment, with shoot outs and all the rest - thankfully no-one was in a violent mood on Saturday!) And this is why... it was the Gauteng Carnival in Newtown. And there were many many police on patrol. Possibly the safest place to be on a Saturday afternoon... In any case, we had a mooch round at the entertainment and then popped into MuseuMAfrica for some more culture.

The Museum is massive, and we only managed a bit before needing lunch. We informed ourselves about the 'Tried for Treason' trials of the late 1950's. Crazy times, in a land then plagued by Apartheid, the state still tried people of all tribes and colours for so-called crimes against the state. Perhaps these events alerted the rest of the world to some of the troubles SA was facing.. It was a fascinating exhibition, with a lot of photos and newspaper cuttings of the time.We also managed to fit in a musical styles of Africa exhibition, settlements and shebeens section and a whole load of photos on Ghandi, who was quite prominent in S.Africa at one point.

A couple of shopping malls later, and a quick trip to an African craft market to get hassled by the traders and we headed to the Victory Theatre to see a show called 'Africa Umoja'. This show was in the West End of London for 2 years from 2001 so maybe some people have seen it, but it was great. It was a kind of history of the musical styles of SA from the stomping and drumming to the very new kwaito movement. The show was amazing and very entertaining. It's moving to Durban soon so might manage to persuade some of the YZWs to come along for the show too...

On Sunday, we went to Rhema Church again. Great preaching, great worship. (and am reminded I still need to update on the wonderful things that happened last time I went!)

Then we went to Sandton City and Nelson Mandela Square, which boasts probably the biggest statue of Madiba in the world! After lunch at Monte Casino (which seems to be a huge indoor Italian town filmset!) it was time to head back to the airport and down to rainy KZN.

What a weekend! It was busy but fun. It was fantastic to stay with my friends up there and to spend some time catching up with them. Another busy week awaits so it was good to be refreshed!

another day... another internet cafe...

Postnet is quite a refreshingly competent internet cafe. I wasn't going to come back online so soon, but I was in PMB this morning and got a call that there's currently no electricity or telephone at home so it's not worth rushing back to the office this morning, it would be rather dark...

Took our little 4-yr old home from hospital yesterday so that's good news. She wanted to get straight back on her bike, not thinking that she is temporarily one-handed... she'll learn! She threw the biggest sulk possible in hospital but thankfully clicked out of it the moment the Dr signed the discharge documents. I was reminded just how much mums have to go through with small children and am full of absolute respect for those who put up with this kind of behaviour on a regular basis! And am so glad that I don't have kids (yet!) ;-)

Tomorrow I'm off to Joburg. This weekend Allet and I will be exploring the city. We are mightily miffed that The Lion King show at Montecasino is fully booked and we can't go. We'll find something to entertain us, it is one of the major cities in Africa... Am looking forward to it and to getting away from the dysfunctionalities (is that a word?) of living rurally, even for a weekend!

internet failure

I don't know what's going on but systematically my internet connections at home and in the office have failed for no reason! I am not a happy bunny.
Have driven half an hour into town to check my email. It's getting ridiculous.

So that's why you've not heard from me for the past week.

Lots has happened though and I'm very busy. Off to Joburg on Wed for CASNET and a weekend exploring the city with Allet.

Spent a lot of this past weekend sitting in hospital with one of our 4 year olds who managed to break her arm badly at preschool last week. She's coming home today and that's good because she was getting very bored in there!!! Pray for complete healing in her arm.

Also please pray for Ph who is one of my preschool teachers, she is very sick with some mystery thing. I visited her last week and prayed with her. It all sounds very strange and she's been ill for a month. Don't know what could have caused it except maybe stress. But she wants to get better. more when I visit her again.

I did Church yesterday morning, it was so AWESOME to be back praising with the kids and to have an opportunity to teach them about Jesus. I'm more organised this term and we're planned right up to Christmas. There are some fantastic and keen new Christians here too so all is looking good. Catherine arrived safely yesterday too so all is well.

Must go, time is running out!

More when I can get back on line.... PRAY for that too!!!
thanks , bye!