Once in a lifetime...

That is the statement I have used the most in the last 2 weeks. We just returned from SOUTH AFRICA!!! I said several times to Wayne...Can you believe we are in AFRICA?!? It was absolutely wonderful and amazing. Someone asked me this morning at church if I could describe it in one word and I said amazing but I was thinking perspective. I know a strange word but it is a honest summary. It put everything into perspective for me. I met the most amazing people who love God and who have this overwhelming desire to get anyone and EVERYONE saved. They believe in reaching people by going out to the people and not waiting for the people to come to them. I think sometimes the church (church as a whole) builds the building in hopes that they will come...(Field of dreams mentality). These people are also the happiest people I have met and they have little or no material things. I was shocked when the "Rev" (Chuck Lockard, the missionary leader there) said that the ladies in the kitchen make about 100 Rand a month. A MONTH! I know you are thinking what is a Rand...well it 6.5 to 1 of the dollar so 100 Rand is about 17.50. OUCH~~ They do live on the campus and they get their food there but all of their clothes, kid's clothes and all their personal items have to come out of that money. After hearing it I was at the grocery store and saw that the paper plates were 16 rand and I started thinking...what a waste. We as Americans are so spoiled, we buy tons of things we don't need and we are always saying if I had a little more of this or that...then I would be happy. The people of South Africa don't have that desire...they are HAPPY because they are saved and sanctified and loved by God and they will tell anyone who will listen. We also had an opportunity to go to a baby sanctuary (orphanage). Most of the babies there are HIV positive and abandoned by their moms before they are even named. The lady that started this orphanage currently has 12 kids in her care, more every week. This was probably the hardest part of the trip for most of us. These kids are abandoned on a daily basis or their parents have both died of AIDS. Rev said that in 2010 South Africa's HIV crisis will peak and the amount of children left without parents will be at its all time high. But as the Rev's wife, Ann Marie said...at least the mothers didn't abort the babies or dump them somewhere. I will let the pictures do the talking about the kids....they were adorable....I LOVED Boyki...The boy with the glasses.
We also had the privilege of going on a safari and we were truly blessed. The guide was so impressed that we got to see as many animals as we did. He said it was the best he had seen in the 6 years he had been giving tours. We saw elephants, female lions (who chase a warthog), giraffes, zebras, and ONE TOTALLY AWESOME male lion. He walked down over the hill while we are looking at the giraffes out the other side of our safari truck.

So...Needless to say we were busy and we managed to do a TON of work while were there. We spent 9 + days working on 2 cottages for the faculty which needed updating and cleaned and scrubbed and painted and remodeled and.......... They turned out wonderful and they are now ready to move into. We also helped them turn an old bar (the Nazarene Theological College land used to be an exclusive resort) into a book store. Everyone worked really well together. Sign me up to go again....

Well...I am going to bed...enjoy the pictures. I might put more out later.